The glass ceiling effect in Spanish advertising creative departments

Abstract

The representation of women in advertising creative departments has been studied worldwide. The findings have shown a low representation that does not favor the emergence of a critical mass of women, who could contribute with alternative visions to make advertising more inclusive. The underrepresentation, above all, occurs in managerial positions where they do not usually reach 35%. This study aims to update and report quantitatively on the phenomenon of the glass ceiling in Spain. In addition, in order to contextualize the level of segregation, these departments are compared with available international data. The results of a content analysis of the credit forms of 839 Spanish campaigns published in 2019 (a sample of 1,311 creatives) revealed gender dynamics, with a balanced starting group of creatives in non-managerial positions (just over 40% are women), but a figure of just 18% of women in managerial roles A higher glass ceiling effect was also found when European and global data were compared. The results analyzed through the perspective of the proportional representation theory (Kanter, 1977a, 1977b, 1987), suggest the need to raise awareness of gender inequalities within creative departments; this would foster the equality demanded by today’s society, of which advertising should not be oblivious.