A clip from the Graham Norton show recently went viral, when actress Saoirse Ronan reminded the rest of the male panel of the lengths women need to go to feel safe. Met with applause from the audience, Ronan has been widely praised since the clip aired for accurately and neatly reminding us all of the threat that women face on a daily basis.  

While the men on the panel have also come out to plaud Ronan, it’s abundantly clear from their stunned silence at the time that this isn’t an issue they need to think about regularly. Speaking about violence against women can be uncomfortable, no matter the setting. And no matter how disappointing it is that this is still a concern in 2024, any girl or woman will tell you just how needed it still is. Just as Saoirse Ronan did. 

The UN designates the 25th November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It marks the first of 16 days of action to end male violence against women. With so much abuse towards women happening behind closed doors and going unreported it can be easy to convince ourselves that this is not an issue that impacts us or our loved ones. 

But the reality is that one in three women will be subjected to physical or sexual violence within their lifetime. That’s an estimated 736 million women globally. And the majority won’t seek help or report it. Less than 40% of women who experience violence will seek help, and less than 10% will go to the police. Black women, trans women, and disabled women are at especially high risk. And climate change, economic crises, and global conflicts are only fuelling and exacerbating the problem. 

This year’s election in the US was a further reminder of how very real this issue is. With women’s reproductive rights on the ballot in many states, the previous Trump administration saw delayed authorisation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act that means reduced federal support and access to healthcare services that are crucial for women, including mental health support and services for survivors of violence. In addition, the behaviour of some of Trump’s supporters may embolden misogynistic attitudes that can create a hostile environment for women both online and offline.

White Ribbon Day acts to remind us of the scale of the issue, but also challenges us to consider the root causes behind this violence. While we may not have witnessed violence against women, we’ve all likely seen and heard problematic language and attitudes. It is up to all of us, regardless of gender, to stand against violence against women, and to fight against the outdated and harmful gender norms - including attitudes towards masculinity - that open the door to misogyny. 

For anyone that is, or knows someone who is facing abuse, whether emotional, physical or financial or simply wants to educate themselves further on this issue, there are resources and support available, which we have listed below:

[White Ribbon Day UK](https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/)

[End Violence Against Women Coalition](https://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/) 

[Refuge](https://refuge.org.uk/)

[Solace Women’s Aid ](https://www.solacewomensaid.org/)

[Woman’s Trust](https://womanstrust.org.uk/)

[National Domestic Abuse Hotline](https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/) - 0808 2000 247

It is up to all of us, regardless of gender, to stand against violence against women, and to fight against the outdated and harmful gender norms - read more on the importance of White Ribbon Day from Teamspirit’s Eleanor Ross 

Why we should all pay attention to White Ribbon Day

For those of us London commuters the phrase ‘Mind the Gap’ is ubiquitous in our lives, a reminder to observe the gap between train and platform. Nobody can argue that this isn’t good advice. But does this advice still apply to other areas of our working lives? 

The Fawcett Society has been tracking the gender pay gap since 2013, and Equal Pay Day marks the day each year where women will effectively stop being paid for the work they do compared to men. This year’s Equal Pay day is two days earlier - 20th November -  than in 2023, and is disappointingly the first time that the pay gap has widened since the Fawcett Society began tracking. This calls into question the impact that efforts to reduce the gap are having in reality. 

Mandatory gender pay gap reporting has been in effect for large companies since 2017. Each company is required to make public their gender pay gap and while many companies have been transparent, there are large gaps to overcome. It's clear and understandable that efforts to close the gap, like growing and developing senior women, require time to bear fruit, but there is simply no excuse for the gap to be widening in 2024.

With the knock-on-impact that the gender pay gap has on women’s ability to save, invest and put money away into their pensions (Scottish Widows found that women retire with £100K less than men), this is an issue that we should all care about, no matter our gender. 

At Teamspirit, we’re lucky to work at a business that not only chooses to report on its gender pay gap, but also one that doesn’t have a gender pay gap at all. 

With a new female Chancellor in position, and the last general election seeing the most women elected as MPs ever, there are encouraging signs that progress is being made. As we head into the new Year, we do so with a fresh challenge to reduce the gender pay gap once again. So back to my Mind the Gap metaphor; is it enough to simply ask companies to track their gender pay gap? Should we still be standing back and just minding the gap, or does more action need to be taken?

## Sources:

[https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/news/equal-pay-day-2024-will-be-20th-november](https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/news/equal-pay-day-2024-will-be-20th-november)
[https://www.scottishwidows.co.uk/about-us/media-centre/reports/women-retirement-report.html](https://www.scottishwidows.co.uk/about-us/media-centre/reports/women-retirement-report.html)


The Gender Pay Gap has widened for the first time in since 2013 calling into question whether efforts to reach pay parity are working. With knock-on-effects to women’s ability to save, invest and prepare for retirement, does more action need to be taken?

Let’s not JUST Mind the Gap anymore 

### __The times they are a-changin’. According to a survey commissioned by Forbes Advisor and conducted by market research company Prolific, [79% of millennial or Gen Z Americans](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/financial-advisor/adults-financial-advice-social-media/) have received financial advice from social media. Seriously. At the same time, Regulatory Authority (FINRA) data shows [a steady decline](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/two-thirds-of-americans-say-their-financial-planning-needs-improvement-301881539.html) in the number of Registered Representatives and Member Firms over the last decade.__

__Mmm. What to do?__

This report is for those interested in, and responsible for, communicating about investments. In it we explore what’s going on in the advice marketplace, and the worrying phenomenon of the younger generations’ faith in often unregulated, socially-led financial advice. 

Then we turn the tables, to look at some great examples of how to reach this audience well on social platforms, in particular TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Creating a hypothetical and deliberately cutting-edge persona of the new adviser, we go on to define the secret sauce of success, by defining the Top Ten Tactics for the New Adviser. 

As a specialist financial services focused agency, we know that despite 66% of Americans believing that their financial planning needs improvement, only [35% of adults actively receive](https://www.financestrategists.com/financial-advisor/advisor-types/how-many-financial-advisors-are-in-the-us/) financial advice from an adviser. Advisers need to find new ways to ensure consumers get the help that they want, at a time that they need it and at a cost that is affordable

We take the responsibility of transforming the world of finance, including the adviser and investor, for the better.

__Here’s our latest thinking on '[The New Adviser](https://assets.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/6oVt4HeKAGMp6Ttmzq3Mos/1a6af752785bc161b2b900bae5ff3648/Teamspirit_The_New_Adviser_Report.pdf)'.__

The times they are a-changin’. According to findings in a recent Deloitte report, 25% of young people now turn to social media for financial advice. Seriously. At the same time, the FCA has revealed that the retail IFA market has shrunk by 7% since 2022.

The New Adviser

__At our recent AI & Ethics breakfast event (with the Financial Services Forum) we explored how responsible brand guardians can enable AI to revolutionise marketing, without compromising ethical principles.__

With over 100bn users now using ChatGPT weekly, the breakfast event, held at JM Finn, discussed how AI can revolutionise marketing without compromising ethical principles.
Thanks to our expert panel for their invaluable professional perspective:

- David Copping, Partner, Farrer & Co.
- Nuno Godinho, Group CEO, Industrial Thought Ltd.
- Derek Yates, Associate Professor and Head of Creative Lab, Ravensbourne University London.
- Crispin Heath, Head of Digital, Teamspirit.

The UK is keen to take a pro innovation stance[1] and the City of London Corporation’s report, AI Accelerating Innovation, shows that the City is already harnessing this technology in positive and ambitious ways[2]. 90% of banks have already dedicated resources to generative AI initiatives with the goal of providing better customer experiences, improving risk management and creating innovative products[3].

The panel started by talking about the positive possibilities that AI is creating, particularly its ability to create more personalised recommendations and communications. And reducing volumes of repetitive work. Derek Yates, Head of Creative Lab, Ravensbourne University, highlighted its ability to create inclusion with the shift from making by hand, to thinking and visualising.

We then delved into one of the criticisms, the AI data bias which is undetectable to most people. Latest research in Scientific American suggests human users may unconsciously absorb these automated biases[4].

Nuno Godinho, Group CEO, Industrial Thought Ltd explained that the bias will exist and be reinforced if you let AI exclusively use existing and undirected sources, and shared examples of just how quickly bias is revealed when AI is left undirected. ‘Prompt Engineers’, individuals who set the direction for what is being sought by AI, will become a vital future role. Businesses, therefore, need to be vigilant in not creating a new bias by programming AI to only reflect their current business. Nuno went as far as forewarning about the risk of FS businesses using the same AI tools, which could lead to in inadvertent market manipulation in supporting similar stock picks.

Next the issue of how brands can ensure content authenticity and protection was explored. According to Gartner’s CMO Priorities report 2024, 55% of brand reputation leaders are concerned about risks associated with GenAI. Crispin Heath, Head of Digital, Teamspirit talked about the increasing ability to create brand content which is already turbo charging social content. AI output is often more vanilla and risks brand dilution which is why he advocates less output of better quality as the overriding objective.  

The conversation then moved to IP and defining the lines of ownership when using AI for creation. David Copping, Partner, Farrer & Co, outlined the UK’s existing framework around copyright and ownership which the regulator continues to promote. For David, transparency is critical and encourages companies to have an agreed approach to AI and to maintain a record of the prompts employed to direct their AI outputs. Ultimately the panel discussed how, similar to the music industry, the market will mature towards immutable tokenisation that will help to provide clarity around ownership.

The panel concluded by providing their top three tips for successfully integrating AI into future marketing strategies. Becoming familiar with the tool that AI provides is critical as the better the prompts the better the results.  Key is remembering that it is a tool not an end product in its own right. It provides possibilities that have the potential to allow greater inclusion, when used responsibly.

Join us in September where we will be discussing the latest usage cases as AI’s deployment matures.

---

## Sources:

1. UK Gov pro innovation stance March 2023, and interim report [here](https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmsctech/1769/summary.html)
2. [https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/supporting-businesses/economic-research/research-publications/ai-accelerating-innovation](https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/supporting-businesses/economic-research/research-publications/ai-accelerating-innovation)
3. [https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/supporting-businesses/economic-research/research-publications/ai-accelerating-innovation](https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/supporting-businesses/economic-research/research-publications/ai-accelerating-innovation)
4. [https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-absorb-bias-from-ai-and-keep-it-after-they-stop-using-the-algorithm/](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-absorb-bias-from-ai-and-keep-it-after-they-stop-using-the-algorithm/)

While AI is helping rethink the accepted rules of marketing creation and production, it presents an ethical minefield that embraces inclusion, privacy, consent, trust and accountability. 

AI & Ethics: Revolutionising marketing without compromising ethical principles 

This year, International Women’s Day is calling on everyone to #ChooseToChallenge. To stand up and call out gender bias and inequality.

With this theme in mind, we challenged some of our amazing women to create something to inspire and help make change. And to show off their skills, of course! So doing what they do best, they created an array of wonderful things that we’re proud to share with you today.

Here’s to women everywhere!

<br>

<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/519875983" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

<br>

![IWD Posters](//images.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/3cK8IvoUrsT5UIMmMekkwM/a2b07e7779534e7b24d89eca6b6d4804/NWD_Posters_Combined_v2.1-1.jpg)

![IWD poster 2](//images.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/6QccHuhcfVdjiZRJuSof11/a3c8cb32dd6ece8db4e0273b2b968bba/NWD_Posters_Combined_v2.1-2.jpg)

![IWD poster 3](//images.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/7cQXqW8nkPzEc06wdVMDyO/175f7ed9cced3938778d32ca2e191a80/NWD_Posters_Combined_v2.1-3.jpg)

![IWD](//images.ctfassets.net/sxw14dxmazhg/2MQXf0N818OONvG0wbqPUz/20640423a7536352ccc60bd4fa71b277/IWD.gif)

This year, International Women’s Day is calling on everyone to #ChooseToChallenge. To stand up and call out gender bias and inequality.

Choosing to challenge through creativity

Related News

Mon 25 Nov 2024

Why we should all pay attention to White Ribbon Day

Wed 20 Nov 2024

Let’s not JUST Mind the Gap anymore

Thu 5 Sep 2024

The New Adviser

Tue 26 Mar 2024

AI & Ethics: Revolutionising marketing without compromising ethical principles