From Bizcommunity. Story by Emma Carpenter.

Globally, clients are driving the change inside advertising agencies, demanding more female creatives to work on their accounts.

With 85 percent of all purchases and financial decisions made by women, brands realize that male-dominated ad agencies are less likely to produce campaigns that speak directly to or appeal to women.

In South Africa, the same problem exists but is compounded by the lack of diversity.

In the advertising industry, English is the first language of business, but it’s not the mother tongue of 91 percent of the population. To employ teams with little or no experience of the target audience they are marketing to is exceptionally shortsighted as clients will seek out agency partners that better represent and instinctively understand their consumers.

Traditional gender roles are deeply entrenched in South Africa. It has a cultural heritage built on patriarchal hierarchies, but through it runs a rich seam of strong women celebrated for rising up and fighting against all forms of discrimination.

The history of South Africa proves that radical change can be achieved through grit and determination, but despite the impact affirmative action has had on the advertising industry for good and bad, women of color still form a tiny minority in agencies.

The slow rate of change in advertising transcends borders and nationalities. Gender equality is a global problem that can only be solved at a local level from the bottom up using knowledge and insight to combat prejudice. South Africa isn’t behind or following trends; it’s finding its own way.

As brands take responsibility and pledge to remove sexism from their advertising, and female consumers demand accurate representation, the advertising industry must focus on positive reinforcement, not positive discrimination to increase the ratio of diverse women in creative positions.

Visible female role models inside the business and the adverts they create are key to changing perception. Building environments where women do not require permission but are empowered to lead will inspire the next generation of females to move the industry forward.

Read more at Bizcommunity.