Cape Town - In South Africa, racial representation in the creative industry is a huge issue, and according to reports only 11% of creatives worldwide are female.
As a country, we are becoming increasingly aware of this and are going to lengths to tackle these issues.
Mentorships, support and female role models is a great start to fight the lack of gender diversity but sadly, women in the workplace all face the same issues - discrimination, wage gap, sexist jokes and harassment.
Many studies in the past have shown that gender diversity is good for brands.
These issues will not disappear but it could improve when people recognise that discrimination is a human issue rather than just a ‘women’s issue’.
"When men become part of the conversation without being defensive. When women can discuss issues without being dismissed as sensitive. It strikes me as ironic that in our informed, intelligent and open-minded creative departments, where sneakers and swearing are okay, we still have to talk about gender equality. Which brings me to the crux of this: “Equal rights for others doesn’t mean less rights for you. It’s not pie”." Sonja Fahn, creative director at Brand Union Africa said in a statement.
"How do we make this pie relevant to a group of people who are all a bit defensive? How do we bring it up constructively without eye rolls and groans? What would the brief to the collective creative department be, that could make this issue resonate with an apathetic audience? Because ultimately we all want the same thing. Better work."