Susan Credle, Global Chief Creative Officer at FCB, who was interviewed by NYT about sexism in the advertising workplace. Photo by Jesse Dittmar for NYT.
I’m not at all surprised by this headline. You’d think that, after a hugely popular show like Mad Men, which put the gender discrimination of the advertising industry on full display for public criticism, there would be more progress in the contemporary advertising workplace. However, by acknowledging cases of discrimination and harassment merely as things of the past, we’re doing at least half of the population a huge disservice. It’s “okay” to talk about diversity in terms of victories won, but leveling criticism against a decidedly un-diverse executive community, for some working women, is a recipe for inviting workplace bullying or mistreatment. While not contained to the advertising industry, systematic sexism in the workplace is an issue that’s mostly invisible to those with the most power to create positive changes. Read more on this at The New York Times.