Marketing is often considered to be a female dominated field with a 28% higher representation of women in comparison to other industries. 

Women tend to be good marketers as they’re able to easily identify thoughts, feelings, and are strong relationship builders. So would it surprise you that women are more likely to leave their marketing jobs than men? 

Female leaders are demanding more from their workplaces and aren’t afraid to move on if their needs aren’t met. Being subject to stereotypes, feeling unrewarded, and lack of priority for wellbeing are just some of the reasons women leaders are leaving their companies. And the young, ambitious women of the future are sure to follow as this influences their perception of a workplace. There’s no doubt that if  businesses don’t act fast they risk losing current female leaders and the next generation!  

As a manager you may be wondering how you can help. Workplace inequality and the gender pay gap aren’t women’s responsibility to fix and can’t be done alone.   

Here are some things you can do to support women in your marketing team.

Learn about gender bias

Gender bias is when someone faces unfair disadvantages due to their gender. 

Unfortunately, women often experience subconscious gender bias at work through examples like:

• No access to training and development opportunities
• Offered less support and flexibility
• Assigned easier tasks
• Paid lower, unequal wages
• Made to feel undervalued and unappreciated

Learning to recognise gender bias will allow you to be more conscious and eliminate it from the workplace. 

Give women a voice

Women are 72% more likely to experience imposter syndrome in the workplace and often avoid speaking out in fear of how they may be perceived. And keep in mind that women are more likely to be spoken over or down to by men. Be sure to put a stop to this if it happens as this could make your female employees feel that their ideas aren’t important.

Ensure your female employees have a voice and empower them by encouraging them and providing them with opportunities to speak up. 

Support women’s development

Women want the chance to progress into senior positions and continue to develop their professional skills, so give them the opportunity. Look at your recruitment process and assess whether it’s fair. Does it cater to male and female employees? Offer regular, accessible training opportunities that’ll help female employees to excel and feel valued. 

Provide support and flexibility

According to research carried out by That Works for Me only a quarter of women are able to go back to work full-time after having a baby. This is because one of the biggest issues women face is a lack of understanding and flexibility, especially for those who have children. 

Put in place clear policies for women, such as maternity policies, so they know what they’re entitled to if they choose to have children. Doing so will give employees security and potentially appeal to new female employees.

When it comes to working hours and hybrid working, be mindful of women with children by accommodating those with childcare responsibilities.

Acknowledge and celebrate achievements

Make your female employees feel appreciated by acknowledging their achievements. When your team has something to celebrate, don’t just make a sweeping statement. Why not shout out employees and the role they played individually so they know you appreciate their hard work? You can do this in team emails or meetings.

Review salaries 

On average female marketers are paid 16.5% less than their male colleagues, this is unfair and can affect women throughout their lives. This gender disparity needs to be improved and there are things you can do to help: 

• Regularly review your team’s salary and see whether there are obvious disparities between the men and women in your team
• Don’t be afraid to change salaries set by others in your organisation if you know this is unfair
• Create a space where you can have open conversations about salary, so employees can talk to you if they feel this is unfair

Do you want more guidance on how to support women in your marketing team?  Download our free How to Empower & Support Women in your Marketing Team guide which will help you understand how you can do just that.