International Women’s Day: ‘Dial down the frenzy’ and invest in women

WIPR joins an International Trademark Association podcast on issues facing women in IP | Soon-to-be launched report finds bias and barriers persist worldwide.

Invest in women: Accelerate progress: this is the stirring theme of International Women’s Day 2024. Yet, according to the United Nations, this aim faces a stark challenge—a $360 billion annual deficit in gender-equality measures by 2030.

International Women’s Day, held annually on March 8, is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

But it seems that while advancing women may be a stated priority of many organisations, it is hard cash backed by a clear vision that often means the difference between effective action and mere lip service.

To mark the day and to explore some of these challenges that persist, World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) joined the International Trademark Association’s “Women Leaders Series,” on a podcast: ‘Overcoming the Broken Pipeline’.

Delving into a preview of some of the key findings from a survey carried out by INTA in association with WIPR– investigating how gender affects the experience of trademark practitioners in the workplace—the podcast touched upon representation, career progression, and work-life integration.

Key findings

Kicking off the discussion, host Ayala Deutsch, executive vice president and deputy general counsel at NBA Properties and executive champion of INTA’s Women’s LeadershIP Initiative, explained: “While the survey suggests that progress is being made, there is still much to be done to truly improve the experiences of women in the trademark field”.

Joining her in this discussion was Rachel Armstrong, partner at Gowling WLG in the United Arab Emirates, Shwetasree Majumder, managing partner of Fidus Law Chambers in India, and Muireann Bolger, deputy group editor of WIPR, and a co-author of INTA’s soon to be released gender indicator report.

All welcomed the good news that more than half of the survey respondents said that advancing the careers of women is a priority for their organisation, and nearly six in ten claim that their organisations have a diversity, equity and inclusion policy or programme.

But there’s a downside: fewer than four in ten (37%) of organisations specifically engage in recruitment efforts to promote overall gender representation in the workplace.

The ‘double bind’

Meanwhile, three quarters (75%) of female respondents believe that there is a trade-off between raising a family and career success, while bias—whether overt or unconscious–endures as a major impediment to professional advancement.

In another concerning finding, nearly four in ten (39%) of female respondents said that they had witnessed women treated negatively for being assertive in the past three years, with 28% personally experiencing it.

Further, just under half (44%) of female respondents reported witnessing women being accorded less respect than men, while slightly more than 30% personally experienced this form of discrimination.

Noting “the double bind” faced by many professional women, Deutsch said: “If you’re not assertive enough, then you’re weak in comparison to men, and if you’re too assertive, then you are seen as unpleasant.

Broken rungs

According to Deutsch, the survey exposed a much greater focus on gender diversity when recruiting at lower levels of an organisation, which falls off at more senior levels within organisations.

“We’ve made progress getting women in the door, now we have to try and get them up that ladder,” she said.

Majumder echoed this view, urging greater support at all career levels.

“We need to focus on the broken rungs of that ladder because our responsibility simply cannot end with hiring more women at entry level or even ensuring women get equal pay to men,” she said.

“For example, a lot of women end up taking mid-career breaks, and these become fatal to their careers because once they do this, they find it incredibly hard to get back.”

Pointing out that, in many countries, women still bear the brunt of all domestic responsibilities, she shared how her firm had introduced several initiatives such as a creche, a playroom, a gym as well as an in-house therapist to offer greater support.

Armstrong explained that she was “a strong advocate for everything being equal” until she entered her thirties and tried to juggle the demands of motherhood with her role.

“Until then, I saw no disparity, and felt I was getting the same opportunities and pay as my male counterparts—but then I really saw a difference when I had my first child.

“I tried to work harder than everyone around me, and that led to a serious case of burn-out. I’ve learnt a huge amount from that and try to encourage others to take a different path.”

Majumder: Regrets over work-life balance

Frequently, wellbeing and self-care tends to fall by the wayside for many professional women, according to the panel.

Pointing to the survey results showing that nearly 60% of all respondents and only 54% of female respondents said that they have sufficient time to commit to a healthy lifestyle, Deutsch queried why this remained such an overwhelming ask for many.

Agreeing that it was often impossible to strike a good balance between working commitments and home life, the panellists explored how the goal should be instead to achieve work-life integration.

Quite simply, this is a holistic approach that seeks to blend personal and professional needs, rather than treating work and life as separate entities or creating a conflict between them.

Reflecting on this aim, Majumder highlighted her own regret at paying little attention to the need for such integration in the past.

“If I could speak to my 30-year-old self, I would tell her to dial down the frenzy. I had very little mentoring or organisational support, and my mental health was in shambles.”

Armstrong concluded: “The organisation you’re working for needs to have the right policies to support your journey and to help build a happier, healthier workforce.

“Effective boundary setting is the biggest challenge of my life; I haven’t cracked it yet but I try everyday. I think it’s going to be a lifelong goal.”

The survey discussed during the podcast was sent out to INTA members late last year and respondents, including both men and women, from more than 90 jurisdictions participated and shared their views—the results will form the basis of INTA’s soon-to-be released gender indicator report.

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