From Margin To Center: Empowering Women in Creative Industries
Arshi Auleear has experienced the toll that biases can take on one's professional career, especially gender bias. In her thesis, From Margin To Center, she aims to empower women in creative industries by shedding light on this pervasive issue. Despite more than 57% of design school graduates being women, only 3% hold creative director positions, with gender discrimination being a significant reason for this disparity. Arshi's research involves conducting over thirty interviews with subject matter experts and women designers, and well as facilitating a co-creation workshop with fifteen women from various positions. Her ultimate goal is to understand why women leaders leave the design industry and how to retain them.
"The design industry needs more women to bring new perspectives and ideas to the table. Without them, we are limiting our potential for innovation."
The gender bias issue in the design industry is particularly significant because it directly impacts the career progression of young women. Arshi created an infographic to visually illustrate how the number of women decreases as they advance in their careers.
Co-Creation Workshop
As part of her research, Arshi conducted a co-creation workshop with fifteen women from the design industry, from junior designers to creative directors. The workshop allowed participants to delve into their personal experiences of workplace issues and collaboratively identify potential solutions to those challenges.
By sharing their stories and discussing their individual perspectives, the participants gained a deeper understanding of the complexities and nuances of workplace dynamics and collectively brainstormed strategies for addressing these challenges.
EmpowHER
Next, Arshi developed a series of design interventions to combat what is commonly referred to as the "broken rung" issue. Her research found that young women struggle to have their work recognized and are promoted less frequently than men. When she interviewed the designer Maria Giudice, they discussed how outstanding leadership starts with great mentors. In response, Arshi created the EmpowHER initiative to guide and support junior women designers and help them grow professionally.
The EmpowHER app focuses on providing mentorship and support to junior women designers. It includes regular check-ins with a mentor who can provide guidance and feedback and opportunities for professional development and networking. Helping junior women designers build confidence and skills makes them more likely to succeed and advance in their careers.
Furthermore, the application offers a community feature that enables users to quickly address pressing concerns such as practicing for interviews, seeking feedback on resumes or design challenges, and posing general inquiries.
Confident Queen
After exploring the possibilities of a mentorship app, Arshi Auleear decided to take the concept one step further. She developed an experience design called Confident Queen and shared it with her community. The experience involved bringing women together in a supportive and empowering environment where they could share their experiences and uplift one another. Through this process of creating a video to showcase the experience, Arshi gained valuable insights about the power of community and the importance of empowering women.
“The experience of Confident Queen proved to be an eye-opening and transformative experience,” Arshi shares. “It proves that when women support each other, they can overcome obstacles and achieve greatness.”
B-Biz
Unfortunately, the issue of gender bias and inequality in the design industry is not limited to junior women designers. It persists throughout all levels of the industry, from entry-level positions to creative directors. In the next phase of her research, Arshi explored further interventions to address this issue and create a more inclusive and equitable industry for all designers.
Specifically, women approaching the senior level face a unique challenge: the "Motherhood Penalty." This form of gender bias manifests itself in the workplace when women choose to start a family. Shockingly, 1 in 5 women report experiencing pregnancy discrimination, and over 36% of first-time mothers are forced to quit their jobs. This inequality can lead to burnout and isolation, making it difficult for women to balance their professional and personal lives.
"Mothers should not be forced to choose between their health and a paycheck."
B-Biz is a service designed to provide support and resources for new mothers and guidance for businesses and organizations on how to support their employees during this crucial time. By addressing the "Motherhood Penalty" head-on, B-Biz aims to create a more equitable and supportive work environment for women at all stages of their careers.
Equalize Dashboard
A lack of workspace transparency is one of the major issues that women in leadership face. Shockingly, more men named "John" hold leadership positions than the combined number of women. This lack of transparency also leads to a gender pay gap, with 82% of women leaders earning less than men in similar positions. It's estimated that closing this pay gap will take over 268 years. However, transparency, accountability, and action are needed to achieve equal pay. Unfortunately, many organizations hesitate to discuss compensation and salaries, which only amplifies the problem. Arshi designed the Equalize Dashboard to address this issue, considering the importance of acknowledging and addressing the issue of pay inequity. The following data visualization shows how much less money women made than men last year:
Equalize is an all-in-one interactive dashboard. It provides real-time data on the industry's current state, gathered from industry surveys and data analysis tools. With Equalize, women and allies can easily share this data with businesses, from small to large corporations. The dashboard helps shed light on the number of women in the workplace and why they leave. Its goal is to make data more accessible and increase awareness of the issue. HR teams can also quickly access and share the data through various communication channels such as social media or company Slack channels. This is crucial because, without visibility of the problem, we cannot solve it.
Equalize App
The Equalize dashboard helps spread awareness and create a movement, but the burden of carrying out the work often falls on women and allies. Realizing this, Arshi took a different approach by flipping the narrative and providing organizations and businesses with their own platform to promote transparency with their employees. She designed the Equalize App to give companies their own personalized dashboard that provides real-time updates on changes in leadership, promotions within the company, and a detailed diversity report that highlights the gender and racial composition of different roles within the organization.
The Equalize app is designed to give companies their own personalized dashboard that provides real-time updates on changes in leadership, promotions within the company, and a detailed diversity report that highlights the gender and racial composition of different roles within the organization. app also enables employees to compare their salary with industry standards, which helps them understand whether their compensation is competitive or falls below average. By promoting transparency, the app increases employee job satisfaction and retention rates, which contributes to a thriving business and sets an example for others.
Arshi’s thesis advocates for women and promotes policies that support women's successes. “Women face multiple forms of gender bias that prevent them from advancing in their careers, and it's time for us to take action,” Arshi shares. “By demanding transparency and accountability from organizations, we can achieve equal pay and equal opportunities for all.”
“Most importantly, we need allies willing to stand up for women and fight against the systemic barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential.” Arshi urges everyone to join in and be that voice for women, question organizations about their policies, and demand change where needed. “Because only by working together can we genuinely flatten that curve and create a brighter future for women everywhere.”
To learn more about Arshi Auleear’s work, take a look at her projects in more detail at arshi-designs.myportfolio.com.