Women in Advertising Creative Departments in South Africa

The creative department of an advertising agency is where the ideas behind the estimated 5,000 ads we see each day are born. In the US, only 3% of creative directors are women, signifying a severe lack of female leadership and representation. Not only is this an issue from a gender equality standpoint, but also from a business perspective. And for brands, this is a waste of money. Furthermore, having more equality in creative departments will result in a healthier media diet for consumers than they are currently receiving. The issue was explored further over the course of 10 weeks in Cape Town, South Africa. The research questions asked to what extent there is a lack of female creatives there, reasons behind this, and what can be done to empower women to be successful in the industry. 7 male and female creatives and strategists were interviewed and common themes were drawn from their responses. Overall, it was found that there is a lack of female creatives, but the issue may be a bit ahead of its time in South Africa, with priority given to race and recovery after apartheid. Potential mitigation steps, optimism for change, and advice for aspiring female creatives are discussed.