I’ll begin my piece with the context of what has precipitated this article.  I am a subscriber to ProPrint Daily and I find it a very useful and informative publication. I did my usual quick scan of the summary of the articles on Friday March 7 to find with great disappointment, that there wasn’t one single article or even mention of the fact that it happened to be International Women’s Day.

My response to ProPrint later that evening was pointed and passionate and I think adequately expressed my disappointment that there hadn’t been a focus given to the industry’s dynamic, creative and amazing women, much less even a polite nod.

Much has been said of the relative health, sickness, tough times and improving status of this industry and there are many varied perspectives.  One thing’s for sure though, it’s going to take all of us, to pull together with our collective belief, innovation, ambition, experiences and success to keep this industry moving onwards and upwards. And like anything of value, it’s going to take hard work and a truly, collective effort.

Further to that, we need to both understand and invest in the contribution that women make to a traditionally (and still quite predominantly) male, industry. A common adage used in our business (AFI Branding) is “what gets measured gets valued” and when something is valued, it gets done.  So we make a point of measuring sales figures, customer feedback, spoils, time to print, timeliness of jobs and many other things.  In the same way, we need to start measuring both the unique contribution that women make to the printing industry, and also measure and recognize the disparity that exists in how women are valued (or rather, not adequately valued).  There is a wage gap between what women are paid and what men are paid – that’s not up for debate there just is.  There are still vastly more men than women sitting in senior management positions and on boards than women, and it’s important and relevant to ask ‘why’?

Is it because we take time out from our careers to have babies?  If so, that’s not cool.

Is it because typically, we’re not as aggressive or adept at self-promotion? (Studies have proven that we are more ‘team player’ than ‘me-first’). If so, that’s not cool.

Is it because even when sitting in management team meetings and at the board table, we’re still expected to serve the lunch or refreshments?  If so, that’s totally not cool!

Our industry, in any season – whether tough or flourishing – is dependent upon a collective effort to see it continue to be significant and profitable.  The collective effort needs to recognize and value the skills, talents and contributions of both men and women and give them a truly equal platform.  But finding and fighting for a truly equal platform is going to take focus and an intention to fix it sooner rather than later so that when our daughters enter the industry, they don’t have to jump on the same old treadmill of unmet expectations and mediocrity.

And women, if I may for one moment speak specifically to the ‘sisterhood’, we need to rally around each other and be our own most vocal and enthusiastic encouragers and mentors.  There’s nothing more disarming than when you feel as a female in the workforce, that you have to work harder and achieve more to earn the respect of your female colleagues than your male co-workers.

Plus it gives the men around us permission to continue to devalue us as individuals and the contribution we make.

I continue to hold hope and excitement at the prospect of being part of an industry where the work, effort and contribution of women is recognized for the dynamic, creative, discerning, multi-talented, detail oriented and beautiful addition that it is.

When that happens, this industry with its longevity, history and tradition, as well as its future prospects encompassing innovation, relevance and creative application, will be truly significant.

Liane Watson is the marketing manager and a board member at AFI Branding.

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