Have you been having a wonderful Women’s History Month? That’s what we’re celebrating this month! We’re all aware that things haven’t been easy for women in the workplace. For generations, there were a select few jobs that were considered “appropriate” or more suitable for women. Many believed that a woman’s place was in the home. But as we make our way into 2022 and beyond, those concepts have —for the most part — been shown the door.
Today, over 35% of businesses are owned and run by women. And ABI is one of them! We’ve been named one of Adweek’s 100 Top Fastest Growing Agencies twice (#humblebrag). As a woman-led agency, we’ve made huge strides to elevate women both in our company and others. We partner with other women-led companies like MRR & ASSOCIATES, a Hispanic women-led business, to build partnerships and provide equal opportunities. Together, we’ve created amazing and impactful campaigns like our 2020 Census project that led to Texas earning 2 congressional seats.
More than that, every woman we employ at ABI has achieved personal accomplishments both in and out of the office. From becoming involved in meaningful projects and causes as board members to writing and working on their own original pieces, our ladies get work done! Our President and Creative Director Dawn Davidson plans to start her own podcast this year! Our Senior Copywriter Lauren Hill, organizes and puts on a virtual convention every year with a group of her friends. And we believe it’s important to celebrate and help them reach their goals.
In most workplaces, women still endure pay wage discrepancies — even in positions where women do the same work as their male counterparts. How is this still happening? Well, many arguments exist for why the pay gap exists: lack of access to education, unequal work experience, and even time taken off for motherhood. But in a world where more women than ever inhabit the workplace, why are these excuses allowed? How can society continue to justify them?
The good news is that strides have closed the gap and given women the equal pay they deserve and many women have been able to benefit from it. Except the fact remains that even now in 2022, women continue to experience gender discrimination in the workplace. Thankfully, women aren’t staying silent. In fact, some tactics designed to bring attention to the issue are quite creative. Last year, during 2021’s Women’s History Month, a Twitter bot account exposed company wage gaps when they posted for International Women’s Day or Women’s History Month. It called out these companies for not supporting the women in their company, despite their platitudes. Making a special post for the day or month is nice, but if you don’t actually support your employees in a fair way, it’s just talking without substance.
Change can only happen when people push back and right now, we’re doing our part as a woman-based agency to provide a healthy environment by adding helpful specifics. Among them are increased parental leave, a built-out nursery, paid professional development, women are external facing and presenting to clients as well as part of the strategic leadership consulting team, increased pay and time off, and a self-defense class. Plus, we’ve transitioned to a hybrid work environment — all of which are empowering every one of our employees.
However, it’s important to recognize that the gap still exists. We need to acknowledge that some companies still have a 50% or higher wage gap between male and female employees. And that’s just unacceptable! We encourage companies to step up and examine any inadequacies they may have. Or even just elevate what is already being done. By offering opportunities for equality or helping every employee maintain a healthy work-life balance, we help improve everyone’s overall well-being. ABI holds quarterly meetings with speakers and guests that can help the company grow and individual employees better themselves. Actions like that can make a huge difference!