Silicon Valley, CA (May 19, 2020)—According to a new industry survey, women currently working in AV have a growing global presence, with the greatest impact being felt in the U.S. and Europe. The 2020 Women + Girls in AV survey was conducted by Women in AV; the organization canvased 506 professional women worldwide between February and March this year.
The 32-page report provides an extensive breakdown of demographic and industry-based statistics, outlining not only who is working in the industry, but also highlighting recommendations to further help foster women’s presence in the AV workplace.
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Among its findings, the survey noted 80 percent of its respondents were White/Caucasian, 92 percent live in either the U.S. or Europe, and 67 percent “fell into” their AV career path. A full 60 percent of the women surveyed were 36 or older, with 31 percent 46 or older, which may signal positive implications about the feasibility of a long-term career in the industry. That view is bolstered by the finding that 49% of those surveyed have been in the industry for 10 or more years.
Roughly 60 percent of females in the AV industry work in management at a supervisory or higher-level role, according to the report, and coinciding with that finding, 58 percent holding non-technical positions, with the highest concentrations found in sales (25%), PR/marketing (20%) and project management (13%), while engineer and technician roles each garnered 12.5% of respondents. Out of those surveyed, 83% were earning enough that they did not need a second job, and 52% have “families to care for,” the report stated.
While many of these are encouraging numbers, the survey nonetheless illustrates a need for and some pathways toward improvement within the AV industry. 52% of those surveyed felt the industry “could be better at valuing women’s representation and diversity.” Meanwhile, 44 percent of women did not have a mentor for their career, and only 27 percent had a female mentor. Women surveyed identified Leadership, Career Advancement, and Technical Training as the prime growth opportunities they’d like to see—a finding which could be interpreted as correlating with the tendency for females in AV to work in management roles.
“This is a thrilling, game-changing moment for all women working in the AV industry and another huge win for advancing gender equality in technology industries,” said Jennifer Willard, founder of Women in AV. “For the first time, we truly have meaningful data about who our female colleagues are around the world, what we do, and where to develop effective career training initiatives to improve our professional skills and inspire more women and young girls to be excited about joining us as Women in AV.”
The report, downloadable for free from the Women in AV website, concludes with a variety of key recommendations to improve female representation and professional satisfaction.
Women in AV • www.womeninav.com
