Ad Girls Club campaign
All we want for Christmas is a Christmas party without sexism
© Prostock studio / Adobe Stock
A hand on the hip, very private questions from the tipsy boss or the colleague who, in a drunken state, takes off his clothes – this is part of the standard program at quite a few Christmas parties. A survey by the Ad Girls Club now comes to the conclusion that the subject of sexual harassment at company parties occupies more than a fifth of those surveyed. Therefore they demand: “All we want for Christmas is a party without sexism”.
Just in time for the Christmas party session, the Ad Girls Club draws attention to the fact that more than 21 percent of those surveyed in the “Ad Girls Club Study 2022” said they were afraid of sexual harassment at agency parties. So the awareness campaign comes at just the right time.
One in five women has experienced sexual harassment in their agency
The Ad Girls Club is a collective of young advertising women, according to Instagram. He campaigns against sexism and unequal treatment in the advertising industry. The club was founded in 2020, they published their manifesto in 2021 and in 2022 the two founders Lisa Eppel and Isabel Gabor were awarded Brave Hearts 2022 in the “The best Agency” agency competition. This recognition honored her achievements in the fight for equality.
With a survey within the advertising industry, they make the ubiquitous sexism visible. The first survey took place in 2020, and another followed in 2022. The numbers are improving, but unequal treatment is still visible. One in five women has experienced sexual harassment at their agency in the past two years. Two years ago it was 42 percent. Agency celebrations are particularly sensitive, according to the evaluation of the survey. More than 21 percent responded to the question, “Are you afraid of sexual harassment at agency parties?” with “Yes” to “Yes, very much”.
“He stuck his tongue down my throat”
The Ad Girls Club website lists a number of experiences from agency party incidents reported by women. “He said he had to show me something urgently. Naively I went with him. Then he pushed me against the wall and stuck his tongue down my throat and grabbed me,” writes a woman. “When I was able to tear myself away and ran to the loo crying, he followed me to the loo.”
Another woman reports that the CEO initiated the game “who has never played” – at a table with only women under 25 years of age. The subject of the questions: sex. Failure to respond was met with laughter and speculation. At another party, an employee unwrapped his penis and played air guitar on it. Another woman reports that she got into trouble at work just because she didn’t want to go with a colleague.
In this way, companies can better protect their employees
To eradicate these incidents as much as possible, the Ad Girls Club is launching a campaign to draw attention to the issue and remind agencies that they are responsible for employee safety. Not only do they explain things, they also give practical tips. For example, before every celebration, at least one contact person should be defined who those affected can approach on site. Before the celebration, an email with guidelines for the celebration would be desirable and some sort of code could be put in place for quick help. For example, if a person asks, “Is Luisa here?” the previously informed staff knows that this person urgently needs help.
The problem of sexism, especially at Christmas parties, not only affects the agency industry, but goes far beyond that. The top priority for every company should be protecting their employees so that everyone can enjoy the end-of-the-year Christmas party.
Sources used: adgirlsclub.de, horizont.net, meedia.de, instagram.com