Gender equality in the workplace is certainly a hot topic in the media these days, and some women are playing as big a role as men in shaping the way we progress. In marketing, advertising and the media, there are lots of women filling all of the roles, and performing very well.

However, some people suggest that it is actually the generalised differences between women and men that make women strong marketers, rather than their equality with their male peers.

So then, speaking in general terms, do women make better marketing professionals than men?

Communication

Marketing, is of course, an area of communication, and it has long been thought that on average, women have a preference for jobs that involve a lot of speaking with other people. If we take the stereotype that women have higher emotional intelligence and tend to be more empathetic, it is clear to see how this would benefit them in marketing, which is all about understanding what other people want and what drives their decision making, and communicating well.

Of course, nothing is as black and white as that, and just as there are men who are great ‘people people’ and love communicating and working out what makes other people tick, there are women who are happier in more introverted roles. But it does suggest that at large, women tend to be stereotyped as having many inherent traits that are well suited to marketing.

Marketing to Women

Marketing is a two way street – the marketer communicates, and the consumer reacts. Women are, of course, as big consumers of almost everything as men, and are bigger consumers of certain things like fashion and beauty related products (which men do buy, but spend less on statistically speaking). Even in old fashioned traditional roles, there were plenty of products marketed to women, such as those for taking care of the house and for children.

If anything, there is more marketing aimed at women than at men, and so when it comes to marketing to female consumers, it could be said that women marketers have a huge edge. Female marketers have the benefit of also being female consumers, and so automatically know whether a message is targeted properly if women like them are the audience.

New Thinking

Because women have only been important players in marketing and advertising in recent generations (if Mad Men is anything to go by), they also bring new thinking to the table. Rather than relying on clichés like ‘sex sells’, women can introduce innovative new ideas that work and which also appeal more to today’s PC consumers by avoiding sexist tropes.

Really, it can’t really be said that in many professions, either men or women are naturally better – there are too many similarities between the genders and every individual person has their own strengths when it comes to their job. However, it can certainly be seen that having strong female marketers is great for any business who wants to perform well, especially when women are in their target demographic.