As I scrolled through my Instagram feed last week, I couldn’t help but notice the repeating post of a blank women’s silhouette with the text, “Not-there.org.” Celebrities like Blake Lively and Jessica Alba posted the image to their accounts in honor of celebrating International Women’s Day. Little did I know that these celebrities’ posts were part of a much bigger movement captivating the social sphere in an effort to raise awareness about gender equality.
The spot “We’re Not There Yet,” released by The Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, features the voices of Amy Poehler, Sienna Miller and Cameron Diaz discussing how even though it is 2015, women still don’t have the same rights as men in the work place. In an effort to raise awareness, brands such as Under Armour and Allure Magazine supported the movement, displaying ads and magazine covers without female characters represented.
So what does this mean for YAYA women? According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, in 2013, female full-time workers made only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 22 percent. In addition, if change continues at the same pace as it has for the past fifty years, it will take 44 years, until 2058, for women to reach pay parity.
The YAYA generation is hearing this message loud and clear, and powerful advertising such as the “We’re Not There Yet” campaign is an effective way to influence them. YAYA consumers want authenticity; they want to hear the truth. And the truth is that women to this day are still not getting fair and equal treatment. This is a cause that all YAYA women can rally around as they enter and thrive in the work place.
Despite the impact of International Women’s Day and the shocking statistics that were released, the reality television show, The Bachelor, decided to drop the news that the next season of The Bachelorette would feature not one, but two bachelorettes. The response? Outrage that the show would belittle women that way, and even moreso that they would announce the change a day after International Women’s Day. This anger is proof that the “We’re Not There Yet” campaign is changing people’s minds and inspiring the YAYA market to believe in making a change and fighting for gender equality.