A leading economic indicator--that is, the number of complete strangers who e-mail me and ask how they can get a job in publishing--had quieted down in recent months. Or so I thought, until a hopeful young student cornered me last night and asked me how I got a job, way back when.
I much prefer to handle these queries via e-mail, when I don't have to get personal and can give my standard stock answers. (Get clips. Be reliable and don't flake on people. Sometimes you have to work for free.) But there I was, no getting away, so I concocted an answer about how, well, that was 12 years ago, and getting a master's degree seemed like a good thing to do, considering no one was actually hanging around offering jobs openhandedly to English majors. And how we weren't using the Internet yet...you had to write letters! And use TYPEWRITERS! (I expected a good laugh over that one.)
"And then you got offers?"
Everything freezes while I rack my brain and think of anyone I know who had more than one job offer to choose from at a time. (Well, I did have that part-time job at the bookstore...)
I wish I could make getting a job in publishing sound more glamorous. It's sometimes exciting, and frustrating, and intriguing. But it rarely is glamorous, even if you add in the remote possibility of a dot-com job, and I hear the out-of-work Web designers are lined up around the block for those.
Really, I don't mind. I used to be one of those people too, someone who would grab strangers by the shoulders and gibber "HOW DID YOU EVER GET A JOB?" (Politely, of course, and with a promptly-sent thank-you note.)
Twelve years in, I'm remembering those conversations and wishing there was someone I could ask my questions to. Chief among them is why I see lots of women editors, and writers, and freelancers--but I rarely see women publishers, or CEOs, or other decision makers.
It's not that there aren't any women in upper management in publishing. Cathleen Black, president of Hearst Magazines, just got finished being president of the Magazine Publishers of America. (It's also worth noting that she got her start NOT in editorial, but advertising sales.) But they're still exceptions, rather than the rule. And I, for one, could use a few more role models.
I tried to stir up some interest in this topic last year at one of our seminars, but it was hard to find appropriate speakers on the topic. And it was one of the least-well attended events of the year, so maybe most people don't care. Personally, I think that kind of apathy is dangerous.
So I care. And a few other people do, too:
The Brits seem to talk more about this than the Yanks:
'Its not something successful people dwell on," says the editor of British magazine Red. "Publishing is great if you want to be an editor or a publisher but if you want to go further, if you want to be one of the big guys who make the big decisions then it's bloody tough for women."
Paul Schindler points out that "being a good reporter doesn't mean you'll be a good manager." A valid point, although not an excuse.
A couple of studies, although not exhaustive, have been done on this topic. The Grey Suits study by (British) Women In Publishing study is several years old, but it pretty much confirms my suspicions.
Most recently, the Dingell-Maloney report shows that "women are underrepresented in senior management positions in virtually every professional field." The statistics in communications is particularly underwhelming.
Posted at May 16, 2002 08:50 PM