This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #EmbraceEquity. Often, equity and equality are used interchangeably, however they don’t mean the same thing. In a nutshell, equity is how you get to the end goal, whereas equality is the end goal.
While researching about gender equality in the creative industry, we found it rather challenging to dig out numbers relating to female leaders in creative director roles, especially for China. However, from a research updated in February 2023, by Zippia, approximately 35.3% of creative directors employed in the United States are female compared to 64.7% are men. What is more astonishing is that as we look at the research dating back to as far as 2010, the numbers and conversations don’t change very much. A study completed in 2010 indicated that while the creative industry consists of 42% women, only 11% hold senior creative roles globally.
At The Orangeblowfish things are run differently. As Queen B shouts, “Who runs the world – Girls!” (Had to make that special call out!) As an independent creative agency, we are proud to have more than 80% of females make up our Agency’s workforce.
“Women are the key decision makers when it comes to household spend, yet they are underrepresented in the creative industry,” commented Siu Tang, founder and Executive Creative Director of The Orangeblowfish, “We – as an industry – need to do a better job to help amplify the voices and careers of young women creatives so they reach the top.”
How is TOBF helping our female creatives to #EmbraceEquity?
Hear it from our young creatives:
Gabby: Use your voice for what you believe in.
Women can inspire others to have a wider outlook on situations, that may lead to a different perspective. Women need to find their voice and use it to share perspectives on causes and initiatives they strongly believe in. I’m new at The Orangeblowfish. However, from my very first day, my peers and leaders were actively seeking out my creative opinion, and also gave me the autonomy to exercise my creative freedom.
Kaly: Have confidence to push creative boundaries.
At The Orangeblowfish, our core value is to push creative boundaries every day. It mirrors why I chose to work in the creative industry in the first place. I believe that life, like creativity enables me to find and amplify my own style and uniqueness. The Orangeblowfish is not only a fun place to work, but also a multicultural organization where we learn a lot from the different backgrounds of each team member. We all have a different perspective, and this level of diversity shows in the work we deliver to clients.
Yuzhen: Creativity needs to be inclusive.
It’s time to change the system, and I’m super excited about my career at The Orangeblowfish where women are leading this Agency. In today’s age, I can’t believe that most of the creative leaders of large agencies are still male. There’s a lot of female talent that isn’t recognized. Creativity has no boundaries. Essentially, we need to focus on the art, and remove the gender conversation. Organisations need to look at how they can improve the system, to make this industry one that is inclusive for all. I’m proud to be a part of The Orangeblowfish, which is predominantly women-led in senior roles.
“At The Orangeblowfish, our mission is to ensure that everyone in our organisation feels valued, included, and contributes to the overall success of our Agency. We provide equal opportunities for everyone so each individual embraces equity every day,” added Natalie Lowe, CEO & Founding Partner of The Orangeblowfish.
Learn more about how TOBF supports gender equality and breaks the bias everyday.