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Creating a work culture where women get equal opportunity

Sunitha Natarajan, Director - Digital Strategy, Social Panga writes about the 60:30:10 rule, which can effectively enhance women's representation and advancement in the advertising, media and communication field

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Creating a work culture where women get equal opportunity

Sunitha Natarajan

Looking back at the journey, the promise of women reshaping industries like advertising, media, and communications is clear. Yet, there's a persistent challenge: out of all the people working in these fields, only 37% of women are in leadership roles, compared to 63% of men. These numbers come from the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum.

This isn't a mere tale of disparity. It's an evolving saga where women transcend their roles as contributors to become conductors of transformative change. Beyond the hustle of scaling businesses and addressing societal concerns, women in leadership roles orchestrate a unique symphony in creative, HR, media, and solution-oriented advertising functions. Their leadership style is a harmonious blend, infusing sensitivity, empathy, and compassion to counter the inherent chaos in these domains.

We are shifting the narrative to the vibrant landscape of Indian agencies where culture, expectations, and personal goals mix. Women's leadership has a big impact but is also tough. We have seen many experiencing an accelerated career start but often need more timed interventions to hit a stage of stagnation or unstructured growth. For example, if we were to analyse a general pattern among independent agencies in India, we see on average 60 hires from campus placements in an agency of which more than 40 are women. But when you double click on the journey from there on, of the 40 maybe 4 end up taking on serious leadership roles later in life. While skilled at crafting a balanced work culture, the path to success seems custom-tailored for a select few, leaving the majority navigating uncharted territories.

The unfolding story prompts pressing questions, delving beyond rigid statistics and more into the soul of organisational dynamics. How can women leaders elevate and harmonise the creative rhythm? In what ways does their presence redefine the HR practices, weaving inclusivity into the workplace tapestry? And how do they reimagine media strategies and solutions, guiding them along a course that is both equitable and effective? In these questions lies the essence of the profound influence of women leaders—It's not just about climbing the career ladder; it's about creating a balanced and valuable way of working in advertising, media, and communications, where everyone gets a chance to shine and be taken seriously without bias.

Implementing the 60:30:10 rule effectively can significantly enhance women's representation and advancement in the field. 60% of empowerment stems from on-the-job experiences and supportive policies, such as equal pay, menstrual leaves, flexibility for working mothers, returnship programs, and life/career management sessions. These initiatives shift the focus from workload to the company's empathy, fostering increased motivation and a sense of belonging.

30% of efforts should target learning and development, emphasising mentorships, interactions with role models, and access to opportunities and forums that showcase achievable goals. The remaining 10% should focus on financial planning and non-technical L&D initiatives to empower individuals beyond their professional roles.

By envisioning a job that incorporates these elements, the potential for success in the field becomes evident. When implemented correctly, this approach not only addresses diversity and inclusion challenges but also elevates overall productivity.

This requires serious interventions in terms of pieces of training, empowerment in a boardroom discussion or simply acknowledging the influence on business and how to scale the impact. This isn't just a tale of women making strides; it's a narrative of shaping transformative leadership where elegance becomes the norm, and the dance of progress knows no gendered bounds.

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media advertising Marketing communication women Social Panga work culture bias Sunitha Natarajan
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