According to a survey by Gesto Kairs, at the invitation of the Observatório da Diversidade na Propaganda, only 10.3% of leaders are black people.
The leadership of Brazilian advertising agencies is formed, mostly, by men, whites, heterosexuals, cisgenders, people without disabilities and under 50 years of age.
This is one of the main findings of the survey “Inclusive Advertising Study: Diversity Census of Brazilian Agencies Observatory of Diversity in Advertising 2023”, carried out by Gesto Kairs at the invitation of the Observatory of Diversity in Advertising (ODP).
The data referring to the leadership of the agencies (management level and above) pointed to a photograph that exposes the lack of representativeness of some minority groups. In terms of gender, the survey found that the branches are headed by 50.2% men and 49.8% women.
As for race and ethnicity, 88% of the leaders are self-declared white and only 10.3% are black (black + brown), representing a number eight times smaller than white professionals. Furthermore, only 4.6% of female leaders are black, while only 1% are indigenous and yellow.
In terms of sexual orientation and gender identity, only 16.2% of agency leaders are LGBTQIAP+ professionals and only 0.7% are people with disabilities. Regarding the generational issue, the study pointed out that people over 50 years old represent only 6% of leadership positions. that the highest positions in the agencies are filled by professionals aged 50 or over.
According to the data collected, the General Staff of the 24 agencies consulted has 57% women and 43% men. In terms of race and ethnicity, 68% of the professionals working there are white and 30% are black, a number that is similar to the study “Diversity, Representativeness and Perception Multisectoral Census of Kairs Management 2022”, followed by 21% of women black, and statistically approximately 1% are yellow and indigenous.
When analyzing the representativeness of sexual orientation and gender identity, 24% of those surveyed declared themselves to be LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender). However, the numbers on the trans community remain insufficient, since the theme of sexual diversity is complex in the business sphere, which exposes the social vulnerability of this part of the population in Brazil and, consequently, the invisibility in the market.
In the scenario referring to people with disabilities, it remains challenging, this public represents only 1.6% of the General Staff, even representing a case of legal non-compliance, guaranteed by Law N 8.213/91, which determines that companies with from 201 employees have at least 2% of people with disabilities proportionally. As for age, only 5% of professionals are 50 years old or older.
The survey, which combined quantitative and qualitative stages, was carried out over a period of two months and involved the participation of 29 agencies that make up the Observatório da Diversidade na Propaganda. As a result, a participation sample was obtained from 24 branches (83% of respondents), which reported their diversity data, representing more than 6,200 employees in total.
(Credit: Benjamin Child on Unsplash)
