Friday, April 18, 2014

Publishing needs to re-focus on gender


UK publishing has been slow in making progress towards gender equality in the top roles, industry figures say, with some suggesting that the preponderance of men working in the tech sector has influenced publishers’ recruitment.
But an increasing number of women in high-profile digital publishing roles shows the industry is in a good position to challenge gender imbalance, others argue.

In a session at the Publishing for Digital Minds Conference at the London Book Fair, digital entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox highlighted the massive male dominance within the technology industry, quoting statistics suggesting women could make up just 1% of the tech industry by 2040 if current trends continue.

However, Annette Thomas (pictured), c.e.o. of Macmillan Science & Education, told The Bookseller that the increasing importance of digital skills within publishing was not responsible for the fact that industry leadership was “unbalanced” when it came to gender.

She said: “It’s already the situation that women aren’t properly represented at the highest level of business—whether it’s publishing or any other. You don’t see 50% representation of men and women at the top of any industry.
“This situation will continue to exist for some time. We’re not making steps forward, at least not at the rate we’d expect, given the predominance of women up to the middle ranks.”
Thomas said the issue was being “actively discussed” at her own company.
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