A new campaign is giving us all the feels and defying assumptions about what girls and women can do and about what boys and men can do.
The campaign challenges people to take on the toughest of human actions: to turn inward and consider our own gender biases. And while it may be challenging, #WeSeeEqual is done in a beautiful way that shows us ‘an equal world.'
The video above, which launches the #WeSeeEqual campaign, shows girls solving math problems, men changing diapers, and kisses between a working mother and her daughter. Each image reminds us that we live in a busy, beautiful, and innovative world and shows us the potential of a world without gender bias.
#WeSeeEqual is the latest step forward in a long tradition of promoting gender equality by P&G. Through the campaign, the company is demonstrating the role advertising can play in reducing gender bias, promotes programs that keep girls in school and women-owned businesses, and a shows a commitment to achieving equal gender representation within the company.
“Only by being active participants – all of us, together – can we reach beyond our own walls and encourage society to see the world differently,” said Carolyn Tastad, P&G Group President, North America, and Gender Equality Executive Sponsor.
P&G has a history of advocating for inclusivity, including in its iconic #LikeAGirl campaign that gave us this powerful ad, which may be one of the reasons the meaning of the phrase has changed and we now have empowering female professionals in Emoiji keyboards.
Inclusivity in subtle messaging, like Emojis, helps spread awareness that women deserve to be included in fields like science, technology, and engineering, and allows young girls to see themselves represented in traditionally male-dominated fields.
And when it comes to advertising, P&G understand the importance of using its voice to advance the issues that matter.
“Our voice can be used to step up on important matters such as gender equality and racial bias, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability,” said Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer at P&G.
“We can be a force for good and for growth because our ads can promote positive conversations, influence attitudes, and change behavior to help make our world a better place,” Pritchard said.
In addition to sending out a message of empowerment, P&G is also walking a path toward gender equality within the company.
At P&G, women already represent 45% of manager position in the company, and one-third of the company’s Board of Directors are women.
If that doesn’t sound impressive, consider this: In the US, the number of all-male boards of Fortune 500 companies increased to 23 between 2015 and 2016, and 22% of boards have only one female member. This example highlights how companies can put in place policies to advance women and show the numbers to back it up.
The company is also committed to including women at a global level, even in countries where women face extreme barriers to equality.
In Saudi Arabia, P&G has spent more than a decade carefully working to respect cultural norms and helping women gain access to the workforce. After P&G became the first company to gain a license for women to work in their industry, over 15% of the company's employees in Saudi Arabia are now women.
“Our aspiration is a better world for all of us — inside and outside of P&G — a world free from gender bias and a world with equal representation and equal voice for women and men,” said Tastad.