The SheSays Survey on Gender Representation is initiated by the Cape Town chapter of SheSays – the world’s largest network for women in creative industries. The survey is done in partnership with Kantar and aims to engage the local industry regarding the improvement of gender representation and diversity within the creative sectors.
The survey anonymously surveys male and female staff numbers by rank and department, and results will be presented in an aggregated format. M&C Saatchi Abel is the first agency to publicly pledge their support to the inaugural gender diversity survey in South Africa’s advertising and marketing sector. Agencies can pledge their support for this cause by taking part before 28 February 2020: SheSaysCTSurvey2019
Mike Abel, Founding Partner & Chief Executive Officer, M&C Saatchi Abel said, ‘People from different cultures, races, genders and ethnicities bring a diversity of ideas and fresh ways of thinking to the table. Gender representation, particularly female representation, within the creative and advertising industries is a massive issue in South Africa. Diversity of thought and gender representation has been key to the success of M&C Saatchi Abel. And whilst we’re proud to be recognised as one of the companies leading this change, it’s going to take all of us working together to really create a meaningful and visible change throughout our industry. We want to urge all agencies to take part in this survey so we can get a first glimpse of the true numbers.’
SheSays director Anelde Greeff added, ‘We are delighted to have the support of a number of leading agencies in South Africa, including M&C Saatchi Abel, and hope that many more will show their support by taking this survey. As an organisation committed to empowering, educating and advancing women in creative industries, it’s vital for us to understand the actual state of affairs and measure our progress. Advertising informs societal views, and if the people behind these advertising campaigns are not representative of society, these views are skewed.’
Only one person from each agency, such as an HR professional or CEO, needs to share agency staff numbers. All participants will remain anonymous and data will only be reported in an aggregated format. Any queries can be directed to capetown@weareshesays.com.
