Sexual harassment in the workplace is common, but many believe that it becomes less common in professional settings. As shown by a recent survey, women in advertising are the victims of sexual harassment as much as any other profession. Conducted on behalf of the ad organization 4A, the survey was sent to members and sought information related to workplace sexual discrimination from several angles. The goal was to gain a comprehensive understanding of whether harassment is a problem in the advertising industry and if so, how does it affect various groups.
What 4A Found About Sex Discrimination in Advertising
Professional industries, such as advertising, are just as prone to discrimination by gender. The organization sent its survey to 549 members of which 375 were female. The women who responded represented various levels within their ad agencies.
- Two percent were interns
- 43 percent in middle management
- 33 percent represented senior management
- 12 percent held upper-level corporate positions, often called the “C-suite”
The survey begun in 2015 and planned for release later in fall of 2017, but was released early after a string of top ranking CEOs were revealed to hold strong opinions against women. Just last year, Kevin Roberts, the chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi, stepped down. The departure came amidst disparaging comments Roberts made regarding what he saw as a lack of ambition among women.
Gustavo Martinez, the CEO of J. Walter Thompson, was ousted after a video surfaced in which he joked about raping someone. Alexei Orlov, Global CEO of RAPP resigned amid allegations of discrimination and retaliation. The lawsuit states he referred to several women as “fat cows.”
In the AAAA survey,
- Half of the female respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment at least once in their careers
- Fifty-four percent reported that they felt vulnerable in their places of employment because of their gender
- Thirty-three percent believed they lost out on promotions for the same reason
- Regarding inclusion in key decisions, 42 percent believed gender kept the door closed to them
The survey also found that many professional women still do not recognize sexual harassment when it happens. Forty percent said they did not know at the time of the harassment that there was anything wrong with the behavior. This indicates that education related to sexual discrimination and harassment continues to be lacking, even among professional communities.
Bucks County Sexual Harassment Lawyers at The Gold Law Firm P.C. Help Those Affected by Gender Discrimination
As borne out by the 4A survey, gender discrimination and sexual harassment continue to be problems in the modern workplace. Even in professional organizations such as advertising agencies, sexual harassment persists.
Bucks County sexual harassment lawyers at The Gold Law Firm P.C. fight workplace discrimination and are dedicated to helping those facing harassment fight back. We are here to help. For a free confidential consultation, contact us online or call us now at 215-569-1999.
