Supporting women through the messy middle of their careers
As marketeers we love a neat label don’t we? ‘Messy Middle’ it’s got a ring, feels tidy! But, midlife is anything but. One minute you’re nailing it, juggling deadlines and life-min, the next…
Our Head of Growth Emmaclare joined industry leaders to share her thoughts with Creativebrief about what more can the industry do to support women through the messy middle of their careers.
What do you think we should be doing to support women more?
(A 6-minute read with a fresh mint tea)
International Women’s Day may well be over, but progressive agency leaders remain focused on supporting women at every stage of their careers.
In the creative industries, people are the product. A state of play that makes talent the engine of businesses, yet also a truth which makes the lack of diversity, particularly at a leadership level, an acute cultural and commercial challenge.
If who makes the work shapes the work, then the IPA Agency Census data that shows 75% of creative leadership roles are held by men is worrying reading.
The 2024 Census revealed there is still a long way to go to smash the glass ceiling. The Census revealed that the number of women in the C-suite has increased year-on-year. Women account for 39.9% of individuals in C-suite roles, up from 37.9% in 2023. Women occupy 39% of C-suite roles in creative and other non-media agencies, up from 38% in 2023, and 41% in their media agency counterparts, up from 37.7% in 2023.
The Census revealed a 19.7% gender pay gap in favour of men over women. The size of the gender pay gap has increased from the 15.2% reported in 2023. As the cost of childcare and commuting continues to rise, this data point underlines another way in which return to office mandates disproportionately impact women.
These proof points show the extensive challenges women face in the creative industries; the playing field is not level. 120,000 women have left the creative industries over the past two years, according to preliminary data from Major Players 2025 Salary Census.
Arguably with an industry narrative rooted in ‘talent pipelines’ rather than people’s lived experience, it is all too easy to get disconnected from the reality of the challenges women still face in their careers. With this in mind, we asked leaders if the industry should be doing more to support women through the ‘messy middle’ of their careers.
Emmaclare Huntriss, Head of Growth at The Liberty Guild
The truth is, midlife is chaotic. It’s complex. And uniquely different for everyone. Career is just one of many spinning plates. Some are wrangling young children, others teenagers. Or maybe like me, navigating a different reality, coming to terms with being childless (not by choice). There is a whole cohort of women spinning so many plates that they’re waking up each day with no energy for outdated nonsense
Six years ago, I joyfully leapt from traditional agency life and embraced freelance. I’ve never looked back. Not once. Why? Because the messy middle isn’t a crisis, it’s a time for reinvention. Women aren’t leaving because they can’t handle the pace; they’re leaving because they’re fed up with being unsupported by outdated models that don’t fit modern lives. So, they’re redesigning their careers on their own terms. I hope the industry can catch up and embrace the wisdom and value of women's second half.
In midlife women need:
Flexibility, not lip service. Not just remote working, but career pathways that allow for step-ups, step-asides, and pivots without penalty.
Support that’s more than a policy. Real investment in training, menopause support, and a culture that values the wisdom of experience not just the next shiny thing.
Outcome-based performance. Let’s measure impact, not office time. At this stage of women's lives it's not just about work-life balance, it’s about work-life design.
Frustratingly, just as we were seeing progress; better menopause awareness and policies etc, some companies take five steps back, clinging to outdated ideas like presenteeism. Dragging folk back into offices under the illusion that being physically present equals productivity. Why return to the same rigid structures that have stifled innovation, creativity, and inclusivity for decades? The industry is changing. The world of work is shifting. What replaces traditional ways of working is up to us.
Discover insights from other industry leaders on how the industry can better support women navigating the messy middle of their careers in the full article.
First published by Creativebrief
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash.
