Monday, June 20, 2016

Women in publishing


Less than 10% of the PPA's 230 member organisations are run by women. It's a discouraging statistic from the professional publishing association which was addressed at a special seminar last week, entitled 'Power in Publishing: Inspiration from ambitious women'. The ambitious women offering their perspectives on the industry were Diane Young, CEO of The Drum, Mandy Rhodes, Managing Director of Holyrood Communications and Angela Haggerty, Editor of CommonSpace.
Personally, I have never experienced discrimination of any sort in the industry, although my reality is limited. I have worked my way through the ranks of a small independent publishing company. When I first embarked on my career here, there was a 50/50 gender split in the office; now I'm the only female, with one of my colleagues on maternity leave and another two having left and replaced by men. It's a challenging situation for small publishers; they simply need to hire the best people for the job, regardless of gender.

The only time I've come across anything close to resembling an 'old boy's club' was when I worked as a runner in television and attended an industry party in Edinburgh. The number of white, middle-aged male producers and the dearth of women was disheartening, so much so I changed career. Indeed, the opposite was true in my Masters at university; there were only three men in a class of 30. But this presents a conundrum. If there are so many women undertaking degrees in publishing, why are there so few at the top of the proverbial ladder?

Positive discrimination, among other topics, was discussed at the PPA event. Here are a few observations and thoughts from the seminar:

  • Is ambition a male trait? Mandy Rhodes said it's a quality that she has never identified with as it belies the hard graft required to forge a career in the industry. If you say you are ambitious, then it suggests a successful career will naturally follow, which is just plain wrong.
  • I was struck by the speakers' honesty about how they could be racked by self-doubt; these are women who are wildly successful and appear so self-assured, but they too suffer from nerves. Angela Haggerty said that prior to TV and radio appearances, she is extremely nervous, but believes in pushing herself and encouraged those in the audience to do the same. Self-doubt can be a motivator.
  • There was consensus that positive discrimination wasn't the right approach to equality in the workplace. People should only be hired for their skills, expertise and suitability for the role. Angela Haggerty, however, raised the point that there doesn't seem to be any alternatives to quotas, and until there are more women in senior roles and on boards, perhaps it's the only answer. Diane Young added that the structures, processes and cultures that may be preventing women from applying for senior positions need to be determined and reassessed.
  • On the point of boards, the Scottish Government is planning on introducing legislation for a 50/50 gender split in public sector boardrooms by 2020. The panel questioned this; you can't have women on boards for women's sake, they need to be qualified.
  • Diane Young believes in always furthering your skills and education; entitlement is a terrible trait and you need to give value in everything you do. Listen to podcasts while travelling instead of music. Read self-help and educational books. She recommended The Language of Leaders by Kevin Murray and The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason.
  • The panel disputed the idea of work-life balance. Two of the speakers have children, but said that they love their careers so much, that it is part of their lives: it isn't a separate entity.

I have a two-year-old niece and I hope that when she enters the world of work, gender equality is no longer an issue. Until then, it's vital to have conversations like this. Discussing these issues openly and honestly is the only way to move forward. 

Thank you to the PPA and the speakers for an enlightening afternoon.