What do marketing leaders and teams need to know about gender equity in the workplace? Make it a priority to be a great communicator, highly effective, and flexible to drive change. Today’s guest is Ashley McManus, Senior Director of Global Marketing at Smart Eye. She is a tech startup marketing leader with extensive expertise in inbound marketing. Her thoughtful branding and organized approach to execution resulted in acquiring the tech startup, Affectiva. Ashley is able to break down challenges, come up with creative solutions, and drive results quickly within budget. She combines strategic thinking with tactical execution, analyzing problems, and identifying steps to results by being adaptive and resourceful. Also, Ashley designs strategies for tech companies to position them as industry thought leaders. She does this by deliberately creating high-quality content that resonates with their target audience and is in line with their vision.   Some of the highlights of the show include: Equity vs. Equality: What’s the difference and distinction between genders? Imbalances: Promote gender equality by empowering women to be equal COVID Impact: Why gender equity in the workplace is a concern for everyone Diversity of Views: Output isn’t as helpful when everyone looks/thinks same way Marketing Role: Customer targeting and company representation, reputation Positive Benefits and Negative Effects: People talk, culture misfits, and churn What can women do to get unstuck? Who do they talk to be hired and promoted? Gender equity from the ground up: Create inclusive hiring practices Simplify job requirements Don’t ask for salary history Candidates should meet diverse interview panel Build enabling human resources department Allow autonomy to be accountable (flexible hours, remote work, etc.) Give recognition, encourage visibility, and advocate for yourself   Links: Ashley McManus on LinkedIn Smart Eye Affectiva Glassdoor Slack Ben Sailer on LinkedIn CoSchedule   Quotes from Ashley McManus: “Equality between men and women, it doesn’t mean that men and women have to become the same. But it’s just that their rights, responsibilities, opportunities, they don’t depend on whether they are born male or female.” “Gender equity - that means fairness. Fairness of treatment for men and women according to their respective needs.” “Equity really leads to equality.” “Women are responsible for, I think, 70 to 80 percent of customer purchasing.”