Now is the time for the backlash against the backlash

Opinion

It’s time to call time on the fear, apathy and defensiveness that still surround equality in the media industry.

Exhale, empty-handed allies and fair-weather feminists — International Women’s Day is over for another year.

Job done. Phew!

You can go back to the important business of ignoring that we are in the midst of the biggest rollback in gender equality in modern history. Forget that the leadership and gender pay gaps in our industry continue to increase. Let’s not mention intersectionality at all. Too controversial. Too complicated.

Let’s duck the real-world harm of online misogyny. Turn a blind eye to the fact that 2m women are estimated to be victims of violence perpetrated by men each year in an epidemic so serious that police chiefs called it a “national emergency”.

Reiterate often that black women are the backbone of our industry but don’t offer mentorship, training, fair pay or opportunities for promotion.

Words, not deeds

Say we want to protect women and girls. But let’s do that by fuelling a toxic debate on the very right of the most persecuted women in our society — trans women — to exist. We’ll pretend that a toxic narrative has no real-world repercussions.

We know all-male panels are a really bad thing! But we also know that the very, very worst thing of all is a woman calling them out! Let’s not hold men accountable for agreeing to appear on such panels or urge conference organisers to prioritise diverse representation. Let’s focus on the tone of the women who try to prevent them — tell those women to be kind!

Let’s level the playing field for women’s sports by talking about the sponsorship gap, not closing it.

It’s really great that girls play football. Girls’ cricket is really growing. But let’s remember that girls can’t play hardball with the boys, even when the statistics show they are the best players! It’s great to win, but no-one likes a girl who tries too hard!

Let’s continue to platform the world’s most dangerous misogynists, but do remember to call them “influencers”, not “extremists”. Let’s urge young women in our industry to “lean in”. It is not our problem if they cannot afford to commute to an office four days a week.

And let’s not have a proper industry debate about online safety. My Instagram feed, for one, needs more “masculine energy”. It’s all 250-step skincare routines and trad wives! Who needs fact-checkers anyway!

Stop glorifying the juggle

We all know the juggle is joyful! This is why International Women’s Day and World Book Day are scheduled in the same week. Let’s not talk about the mental load. Let’s get those same women to pull together an IWD event with zero budget for speakers. But do remind them not to offend men!

Let’s celebrate the fact that women working from home can put on a load of washing between back-to-back meetings. Who needs time in their working day to go to the toilet? Uninterrupted focus time is overrated! Especially for women who love multitasking!

We don’t need to amplify the voices of mothers in our industry. Because if we create an environment so openly hostile to them, we can continue to ignore that social media is this generation’s smoking. The crisis in children’s mental health can’t be happening on our watch if we aren’t watching in the first place!

Don’t listen to the truth that flexible working is a lifeline to working mothers. Let’s remember that if the women disproportionately impacted by return-to-office mandates leave, then that’s an unintended consequence because we choose not to measure it. Let’s just embrace the spirit of inclusion!

Let’s just ignore TimeTo’s heart-stopping research revealing that working from home was a relief for women who could finally be free from sexual harassment. Let’s not mention safeguarding women’s safety at industry events because then we would have to explain why we’ve done nothing for decades! Corporate negligence isn’t an official IWD theme!

And let’s pretend that women in the media industry are free to speak their mind. We absolutely have a level playing field. Just ignore the reply guys on LinkedIn! Tell women to find their voices — that way, it’s their responsibility!

Changing direction

According to preliminary data from Major Players’ Creative Industries Salary Census 2025, 120,000 women left this sector over the past two years. That’s 120,000 missed opportunities to make a positive difference.

Consider all the stories not written. The new business not won. The relationships never built. The stereotypes not smashed. The products not created. The half of the world we continue to ignore.

According to the latest IPA Agency Census, women hold just 36% of leadership roles in media (defined as chair, CEO or managing director) and 77% of office-servicing roles, such as office management and personal assistants. If we want to move the dial, now is the time for the backlash against the backlash.

Change requires action, sustained investment and honesty. We cannot continue to act as if we are passengers. It is not enough to simply raise awareness of inequality or point out what is missing. If we want to move the needle, we have to choose to act, even when it’s uncomfortable to do so.

The media industry talks a good game on transformation, but when it comes to equality we are going backwards. Leaders who are incandescent with rage when their offices are empty on a Friday, but barely raise an eyebrow at the rush of female talent out of the industry, must face the uncomfortable truths we collectively sidestep.

An age of corporate gymnastics and doublespeak

The official theme of International Women’s Day for 2025 is: “For all women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”

Arguably the unofficial theme in media is fear and apathy. The Donald Trump administration’s claim that it has “ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies” has been supported by headlines focusing on big brands shuttering dedicated DEI programmes. Fear, particularly when it comes to lawsuits based on affirmative action, is acute.

The corporate gymnastics necessary to mitigate the risk of these lawsuits mean that the headlines do not always match the reality of businesses reacting to real and perceived risk. There are many ways for inclusion to thrive.

Many of the world’s most progressive brands find themselves in the unexpected position of rebranding DEI, while at the same time being berated for the apparent rollback. All too often, it is the women who have dedicated their careers to progressive change caught in the crossfire. Is it any wonder that women are frustrated?

Yet, frustration can be fuel. We must recognise that apathy is anything but inevitable. It is a choice rooted in privilege. A choice that marginalised communities do not have.

We all have the power to change our industry. To not bend to the cruel and unpredictable whims of a regressive backlash. In the midst of the sharp edges, fear and cynicism of 2025,  it is important to remember the singular truth: together we are powerful.

Nicola Kemp has spent over two decades writing about diversity, equality and inclusion in the media. She is now editorial director of Creativebrief. She writes for The Media Leader each month.

Career Leaders: The Media Leader‘s weekly supplement with thought leadership, news and analysis dedicated about media careers, training, development and wellbeing.
Sign up to our daily bulletin for free to ensure you stay up to date and get Career Leaders every Tuesday.