Australian creatives, who had to overcome gender biases in order to climb the career ladder, are fighting to create a fairer future.
This year the United Nations theme for International Women's Day is ‘For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.’
According to the Advertising Council of Australia’s Create Space Census 2024, only 31% of creative department leadership is made up of female and gender non-conforming individuals.
“While progress is happening, female creatives remain underrepresented in senior roles,” an ACA spokesperson said.
“Change needs more than training — it requires clear promotion pathways, tracking gender on key projects, strong mentorship, flexible work, leadership diversity targets, and truly inclusive cultures.
“International Women’s Day is a chance to reflect on progress and push harder for change.”
Becky Morriss, creative director at DDB Melbourne, said there is still work to do to achieve true equality.
“While I am fortunate to bring my full self to work and feel seen, heard, and valued, this is still a privilege that many women - both globally and within our industry - do not yet have,” she told AdNews.
“By continuing to challenge entrenched biases, advocate for systemic change, and elevate diverse voices, we can move closer to an industry where all women and girls - regardless of background, identity, or career stage - have the rights, equality, and empowerment they deserve.”
Morriss said the lack of female leadership in Australian agencies is glaring.
“There are women I admire from afar, like Tara Ford, Emma Robbins, Hilary Badger, Robyn Bergmann, and Annie Price. But the truth is, I haven’t had the experience of working under a female leader since I was a junior,” she said.
“So now, as a Creative Director, I often feel like I’m navigating uncharted territory with only male role models to reference. And here’s the thing: when you rarely see women in top creative roles, it’s hard to picture yourself there.
“The talent is there - plenty of brilliant young women are entering the industry - but the real challenge is keeping them here and ensuring they don’t hit an invisible ceiling just as they’re reaching their prime.”
Morriss said she's had to navigate unconscious bias while also wrestling with imposter syndrome.
“My way of pushing through? I throw myself into the discomfort,” she said.
“I speak up in boardrooms, tackle challenges head-on, and lead by example - not just for myself, but for the women around me who deserve to see what’s possible,” she said.
“Some days, I feel like I’m figuring it out as I go. But if that means more women feel seen, supported, and inspired to claim their own space, then I know I’m doing something right.”
Morriss said she's often been the only woman in the creative department, but the good news is that there have been positive shifts.
“While I may still be the only female CD, I’m determined to be the leader I wish I’d had, so the young women in our department can see a clear path forward and know that they can continue their careers through all of life’s milestones,” she said.
“But real, lasting progress doesn’t happen in isolation. Our allies - male leaders, colleagues, and decision-makers - play a crucial role in prying open doors so more women can take their rightful seats at the table. Change happens when we push together.”
Morriss said progress is getting more women into leadership and ensuring they have the support, visibility and opportunities to stay there.
“Don’t shrink yourself to fit a mould of what you think a creative should be. Your perspective, your voice, your experiences - that’s what makes your ideas powerful,” she said.
“The more we show up as ourselves, the faster the industry shifts. So be bold, back yourself, and don’t wait for permission to take up space. You belong here.”
Abbie Dubin-Rhodin, senior strategy director at Special, said it’s important to consider all women in discussions about how to improve collective conditions.
“This means starting with the women who have the least structural power, both in our industry and societally, rather than the perpetual highlight reel of predominantly white, upper middle-class women in leadership,” she said.
“Our liberation is intertwined and when we persist in focusing on the select few who have succeeded despite the glass ceilings, we lose sight of how far we still have to go.
“We should be directing the mic to the women whose power and voices have been most stifled… who have had their experiences flattened, ignored, and exploited for our industry’s commercial profits and award tallies.”
Dubin-Rhodin said every woman in creative has dealt with years of daily microaggressions.
“We need look no further than the WGEA gender pay gap data released this week,” she said.
“I’m not sure about you, but every creative and media holding company having gender pay gaps anywhere from 10 to nearly 30% in the year 2025 tells me everything I need to know about how much work that’s still left to do.
“As Cindy Gallop says and it apparently bears repeating: stop ‘empowering’ us. PAY US.”
Dubin-Rhodin believes systematic underrepresentation of any kind in decision making roles is a bad thing.
“Like many legacy industries, a heap of men purpose built ours this way and generations later, we’re still worse off for it. And I think we should treat it as the problem it is,” she said.
“Put gender quotas in pitch contracts, make ACA accreditation based on agency gender parity, do something big. We know what the problem is. At this point, what are we actually doing to solve it?
“Whatever we choose to do, we fail the moment we never move beyond hand wringing about it during exclusive, invite only IWD luncheons.”
Dubin-Rhodin offered two key pieces of advice to women in advertising.
“Firstly, this industry is markedly better off when new minds with new opinions enter it and feel comfortable loudly and openly sharing those opinions,” she said.
“Be the squeaky wheel, call issues what they are and push your agency to take stances you want to see made more visible.
“The second is about accessing the quiet chats that will help you keep yourself safe and sane. Find and nurture a network of other women and allies.
“You’re going to have times in working in advertising where you’re worried that rocking the boat or that calling someone out is going to result in nothing but downside for you. That’s when you need that support of the people who have been there and will fight alongside you.”
Suzie Shaw, CEO at We Are Social, said it's important to be constantly assessing progress towards gender parity.
“We can't keep doing the same things and hope to continue to make rapid headway,” she told AdNews.
“I also think it's important we think about the world more broadly because there are still many women in many places who are severely disadvantaged.
“I'm a CEO so I don't often feel disadvantaged or like I don't have a strong voice but not everyone who shares my gender feels that way.”
Shaw, who has four brothers, said she has always been hugely motivated to show the world what women can do.
When she started her career in London, at the tail end of the 90s, a lot of women were still being patronised and objectified without question.
Shaw, who joined We Are Social in 2015, said the lack of representation at a leadership level creates challenges for the industry.
“Historically men have been more drawn to higher risk jobs, and becoming a creative used to be quite a risky pursuit,” she said.
“Fortunately, it's changing and there's some really great women and females coming into the industry, but they're still working their way up the ladder.
“As an industry we have got work to do to create a culture where females feel really drawn to it and know that they're heard and can thrive.”
Shaw said she was given opportunities to advance her career after returning from maternity leave and proving she wanted to “keep her foot on the career pedal”.
“My husband and I made sacrifices financially so we could afford the help we needed and both keep focusing on career development,” she said.
“If you want a big job, you've got to give a lot of yourself, and you've got to have a really good support network around you at home.”
Shaw said she loves women who lean into their “feminine power” and use it to succeed.
“I'm inspired by women who are blazing a trail and do I need things in traditionally male spaces,” she said.
“We need to continue to push for not just gender equity, but gender prowess.”
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.