Nina Orezzoli

When World War I was over, the United States was flush in money and optimism. Jazz played over the airwaves of the very first radio stations, and Coca Cola’s advertising strategy switched from medicinal to fun. And on August 26, 1920, women were granted the right to vote.

Now, 91 years later, things look very different, especially for women: For every two men graduating from college, three women are doing the same; almost half of American households count a woman as the breadwinner; and more than half of the country’s managerial and professional jobs are held by women.

Next to statistics like those, it’s obvious that women are underrepresented in ad agencies, at least in creative and leadership roles. Only 3 percent of creative directors are women; and a 2009 study found no American ECDs who are mothers with spouses who work. Plus, earlier this year, Forbes published an article, “The Glass Ceiling in Advertising,” revealing that only 15 percent of top managers in ad agencies are female and that none of the global ad agencies are led by women. So today, as we celebrate Women’s Equality Day, established by Congress as “a symbol of the continued fight for equal rights,” I wondered how the few women holding successful advertising jobs are doing it.

Christine Fruechte – one of a small number of female ad agency CEOs in the country – explains her success like this: “I never felt limited by gender bias. I simply focused on doing the best job I could and over-delivering. The fact that I was oftentimes the only woman in the room was my reality, but it never felt limiting. If men in the industry underestimated me, I was just at an advantage because I knew what I was capable of.”

But, after many years in the industry and having the opportunity to work at agencies from Minneapolis to Honolulu, Christine decided to become a mother. “This milestone causes many of us to reflect on our careers and on what makes life fulfilling,” she says. But it can be an especially difficult transition for women in advertising, since this line of work requires our attention and extreme dedication.

We work unsteady hours. We travel for client meetings, conferences and shoots. According to CareerCast, a job in advertising ranks among the most demanding. Account Supervisor Jenny Stoltenow said she was reminded of this on her first day back from maternity leave. “One of my male counterparts said, ‘I can’t imagine being a mom in advertising.’ Two different people sent me stories about how agency jobs are in the Top 10 Most Stressful, followed by a study on how motherhood is the ‘toughest job in the country.’ That sets the tone for struggling in this job and having a family.”

Stacy Janicki, Director of Account Management and mother of three, had her first child at 24. “I was a young, ambitious account executive, and I quickly had to trade out happy hours for last-minute dashes to day care. I found myself overcompensating (taking work home, volunteering for extra projects) to make sure my peers and managers knew that I was still hungry and willing to pull my weight. I’d pick my kids up from day care and head back to work, kids in tow. I’m thankful that they have positive memories of this. Ad agencies are like amusement parks for young children: silly people making jokes and drawing pictures for you, scooters lying about, candy dishes everywhere, ping pong tables, jumbo TV screens, soda machines. What’s not to love?”

Stacy is one to point out that mothers in advertising become adept at squeezing everything in, although it means being unconventional. “The kids of ad moms usually have late bedtimes,” she says, “because if you’re getting home a little later, you want to maximize your face time with them.” Jenny puts it this way: “My need to sleep is losing out in the ‘have it all’ world. But I don’t want my son to grow up reflecting about how his mom was always looking at her iPhone when he was being fed a bottle or sending ‘one last email’ while he was learning to crawl, so when he’s awake and we are at home, my attention is on him 100 percent. After he goes to bed, that is when I finish projects.”

Lisa Holzemer, Senior Interactive Producer, is the newest mom at work. “So far I feel a wide range of emotions,” she admits. “Sadness to leave the baby [at day care], happiness to be solving work problems again, guilt, jealousy, elation. Everyone says it will get better. I’m waiting for that.” She feels she’s able to stick it out until then because she and her husband share their responsibilities. “We’ve always operated in a way that if something bothers you (e.g., dirty dishes or messy rooms), clean them yourself. I get to the things that bug me and so does Adam, but we let the other stuff sit until the weekend. Or the following week,” she adds with a smile.

The more I asked, the more I heard women say they relied on their spouses heavily. “I drop Beck off in the morning and Adam picks him up in the evening so I have the window to stay late if I need to,” Lisa told me. Stacy guesses she’s cooked 98 percent of the dinners, but she hasn’t vacuumed a floor in the 13 years of her marriage. Christine says she enjoys doing the laundry, gardening, cleaning, but isn't allowed to cook dinner or touch the lawn mower. She treasures the one-on-one time with her son, while her husband catches up on work or a game of golf with the guys; she calls this co-parenting.

That’s how I see it, too. As women become powerful contributors to their family’s financial status, there is a shift to a more egalitarian division of family chores - or, as in my case, a situation where some men are choosing to take the primary role in child-rearing so that the women they're married to can focus on their careers. Motherhood is becoming parenthood.

Earlier this month, Time ran a cover story, “Chore Wars,” citing new data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that proved men and women are evenly sharing workloads, both paid and unpaid.

“I notice how far things have come when I see how my dad looks up to my husband,” Christine told me. “My dad never changed a diaper, cooked us dinner, helped us with math or took us clothes shopping.” My own father, a pediatrician, changed the first diaper of his life when his visit to Minnesota coincided with one of my business trips. He told me about it proudly, with humor and enchantment at having done a thing like that for my baby.

Moments like that make it clear to me that both women and men are gaining so much from their new social expectations. By forming a true partnership with men – by selecting spouses they can collaborate with – women can go as far as they want in their careers. Even a career as time intensive as advertising.

Meanwhile, men are actually getting to experience their families. In the old advertising boy’s club, as on Mad Men, guys worked all the time, stopping occasionally to look at their children through the bottom of a martini glass. It’s not like that for John Neerland, Associate Creative Director. “I handle all day care pickups and drop-offs,” he says. “I also help out with meals and bedtime. My wife is on call four to five days a month, so I cover the child care during her shifts. Sure, it’s a balancing act, but it's worth it. I feel really fortunate that loving my family and loving my work doesn't have to be an either/or.”

Working together, women and men can both play a pivotal and better-balanced role in their own lives. And that's the kind of equality I’m after.


Nina Orezzoli
Senior Art Director
Colle+McVoy