The dearth of women in technology is increasingly discussed in the media and at Silicon Valley conferences. Organizations have sprung up with the aim of getting young girls interested in tech careers, but the field remains overwhelmingly male. You may be surprised to know that advertising is another field that skews heavily male, and some say it has more to apologize for than tech.

Kat Gordon, founder of the 3% Conference and advertising creative director, said there are important differences between the two industries’ inclusions issues. “Tech has a pipeline problem,” she told Jeff Frick (@JeffFrick), cohost of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team. “Tech is trying to get young girls interested,” she explained and added that, by contrast, “There are more young women graduating from portfolio centers than young men.”

Gordon said that while we have trained, skilled women ready for advertising careers, paradoxically, “We hemorrhage them right when they are most valuable.”

3% for 50%

The 3% Conference takes its name from a study showing that only three percent of creative advertising directors are women. Gordon said that through her organization’s efforts (and those of others), the number in America is now 11 percent.

But Gordon is not satisfied. She said that there is no reason why it can’t be 50 percent.

The practical side

Gordon said she is not doing this work just to earn her social justice credentials. She stated that ad agencies should understand that a diversity of opinions has practical value — particularly for creative teams.

“If two people have the same kind of background, one of them is redundant in the idea-making sessions. So you need that otherness. You need that discomfort,” she contended.

Watch the complete video interview with Gordon below.

Photo by SiliconANGLE