Let’s End the Ethnic, Class and Gender Bias in the Creative Professions in the UK
Posted by Nadeem Azam as Life, Online Advertising
Interestingly, both this week’s ‘Broadcast’ and ‘Campaign’ magazines have articles on their front pages about the startling lack of BME staff in the creative and media industries in the UK.
Whereas 44% of London’s population consists of people from black and minority ethnic groups, only around 12% of those working in fields such as television production and advertising agencies are from these minorities – and the percentage plummets when it comes to the top roles.
The lead article in ‘Broadcast’ quotes Lucy Pilkington, the factual creative director of Sugar Films, who “was ‘fed up’ of being handed an approved list of male, white directors to oversee a show”.
I have been working in publishing and marketing in London for more than a quarter of a century and, despite reading and hearing platitudes from the powers that be time and again about the need for more diversity, do not fail to notice that, even in CE 2017, when I am sitting in senior-level industry meetings, out of 12 or 14 people I will often be the only non-white person. And the only one from a working-class background.
Enough is enough. As these veritable industry publications highlight, the white, middle-class and male stranglehold on the creative industries in the UK, particularly when it comes to management level roles, must finally end. Urgently.
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6 Responses
Jamil
February 4th, 2017 at 1:30 pm
1You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the best business blogs online. I’m going to highly recommend this blog to my friends.
George Rowley, Director, Mindsways Ltd
February 9th, 2017 at 9:19 pm
2Shows we have so much work to do in achieving Inclusion. It is our responsibility to keep promoting these issues and bring as much attention to them as possible.
Ally Login
March 28th, 2017 at 7:38 am
3Hey nice post! I hope it’s alright that I shared it on my FB, if not,
no worries just tell me and I’ll remove it. Either way keep up the good work.
Kara
April 12th, 2017 at 4:02 pm
4In the industries I have worked in (Retail and Banking) race / gender doesn’t come into any decision making – it is all based upon those who can best do the job
Kerry Norris
April 13th, 2017 at 6:48 am
5Interesting read. I work in an operating theatre and race/gender has never been an issue as far as I can see
Nadeem Azam
April 14th, 2017 at 10:42 am
6Thank you for sharing your views.
As well as conscious bias, there is a huge amount of subconscious bias against some ethnic minorities and religions that most people will not be aware of.
There have been countless studies done which prove that when a person applies for a role with, say, a Muslim name he is seldom even invited for an interview whereas if the identical CV is sent in using an Anglo-Saxon name there is a significantly higher chance of being invited to interview for the job. That empirically proves the discrimination in the jobs market against, in this case, Muslims.
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