75 percent of marketers are female but fall behind in the promotion stakes in their thirties and forties. A greater number of men are reaching the higher levels of the marketing profession, despite 75 percent of marketers being female according to research by specialist marketing recruiter EMR.* More than twice as many men (18 percent) reach director level compared with women (7 percent) according to the research. The same is true of Head of Marketing roles with 22 percent of men and just 12 percent of women achieving this level. The gap between men and women in senior marketing positions is most marked between the ages of 30 and 49. Seventeen percent more men than women reach director and head of marketing positions in their thirties and 16 percent more in their forties. The gap narrows again after the age of fifty with just 2 percent more men in these senior positions than women (70 percent and 68 percent respectively).

Simon Bassett, managing director of EMR said, “For an industry with such a high proportion of women, the gender imbalance in marketing seems even greater at the top of the tree. At the start and end of their careers, women are relatively level with their male counterparts but their career progression is slowing down in the middle – most likely because of having children and the responsibilities of childcare. The report also found women are more receptive to the idea of flexible working which may be one route to equality, allowing women to juggle their career and family.” The gender imbalance is also reflected in the fact that a larger proportion of male marketers received a bonus this year – 61 percent of men compared with 53 percent of women. More men than women also saw an increase in their bonus compared with the previous year (35 percent compared with 33 percent.)

Male marketers appear to be more driven by pay than women, with 11 percent of men leaving their last job for a higher bonus, compared with just 5 percent of women, and 38 percent leaving for a higher salary compared with 33 percent of women. Despite this, a greater proportion of female marketers are satisfied with their job (54 percent of women compared with 51 percent of men). Simon Bassett continues, “Companies don’t want to lose talented staff so will do what they can to keep them. In the case of men, this tends to be a financial incentive as they are more driven by pay. And while more female marketers said they are satisfied with their job, the difference in the number of men and women getting bonuses sends out a poor message about equality within the industry.”