INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: TIME TO LOOK BEYOND THE TOKEN GESTURES
Boss Lady
- Meet the team
It’s Hashtag International Women’s Day! A time to acknowledge the achievements of women, as well as to reflect on the injustices and persecution facing women and girls in many parts of the world.
In games, it’s an opportunity to champion the brilliant women working here – still an under-represented group, but I’m honoured and gladdened to work alongside them.
It should also be a day for the games industry to congratulate itself on the strides forward it has taken in gender diversity and inclusion over the past few years…. But the sad truth is, the games industry just hasn’t made enough meaningful progress in this space. In fact, in some instances, it’s getting worse.
I had a call recently with someone who works in a UK studio – one of the biggest here – and she told me that she wasn’t really looking forward to International Women’s Day because the bosses were laying on an afternoon tea for the women in the studio and giving them all branded mugs. That, she said, was all well and good – but what many of the women there ACTUALLY want is genuinely flexible working options. That would be a tangible benefit – as it would be for many women with caring responsibilities – making their lives easier, reducing childcare costs (which we all know are astronomical) and potentially keeping them employed at the studio for longer.
If the industry is serious about closing the gender gap, why are so many studios insisting staff go back to the office full-time? Why do I hear so often that women asking their leadership teams for flexible, hybrid or remote working are being labelled ‘difficult’, or that they’re asking for ‘special treatment’? That they’re not a ‘team player’…
Another recent conversation has also played on my mind … the woman in question is fighting for more support, opportunities, the chance to hire more women into the studio. “But what can I do, what difference can I make, if I’m the only woman there currently? They don’t want to hear me, and they don’t understand what the problem is…”
The reason I keep thinking about that conversation is because it must be the situation for so many women in the industry. While we make up just 23-30% (depending on what data you read), there are going to be hundreds of small studios with a lone woman working there. Many studios, of course, will actually be all-male environments.
So, what do you do if you’re a woman in that situation? Turn up the volume? Get labelled – again – as ‘difficult’?
If the industry is serious about change, the heavy lifting can’t just be left to the women. We need action, board level understanding of what matters to women, we need leaders to listen with empathy and take the actions required. We need meaningful changes that make the workplace truly inclusive – equal pay, clear and unbiased paths to promotion, and yes, flexible working conditions that acknowledge people have lives outside of the studio. We need men to realise that it’s NOT okay for a studio to be all male, to understand why that’s a problem, and to proactively find ways to change. It’s time to look beyond the token gestures.
The games industry can either keep pretending that a sprinkle of gender diversity here and there is enough, or it can truly embrace change for the good of all. Some studios are already showing us how it's done, but it's time for everyone else to catch up.
The battle for gender diversity in games isn't just about getting more women in the door. It's about changing the landscape from the inside out, making sure everyone has a fair shot at success. It’s about who’s leading the teams, and whose voices are being heard in the boardrooms where decisions are made. It’s also, of course, about addressing the ongoing issues of harassment and abuse.
It’s not enough to lean on diversity and inclusion as buzzwords; they need to be woven into the fabric of the company’s culture. It’s time for action, not just awareness, it’s time for change… not cake…
Read more...
Teaser
Amiqus NewsContent Type
News
24/04/2024
Summary
We’ve just carried out a straw poll of games professionals on LinkedIn, asking them what the most important thing is that they look for when considering a new job role. Over 400 to
by
Liz Prince
Teaser
Amiqus NewsContent Type
Blog
23/01/2024
Summary
If you’ve been reading some of the commentary about the games industry of late, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that we’re in a downwards spiral of doom and gloom.It’s true: times are tougher
by
Liz Prince
Teaser
Amiqus NewsContent Type
News
22/11/2023
Summary
Today (November 22nd) is the day when, because of the gender pay gap, women overall in the UK stop being paid compared to men. This means:At the current rate of change, the gender pay gap won'
by
Liz Prince
Teaser
Amiqus NewsContent Type
News
21/11/2023
Summary
The whole team at Amiqus is absolutely delighted and honoured to have received another award, this time the accolade of Best Recruitment Agency at the TIGA Games Industry Awards 2023.Awards li
Teaser
BlogsContent Type
News
17/10/2023
Summary
The Value of Working with a Games Recruitment Agency There has been a lot of sad news recently about redundancies and restructuring within the industry, and our thoughts go out to
by
Liz Prince
Teaser
BlogsContent Type
News
05/09/2023
Summary
Facing redundancy can be daunting. I'll cut to the chase with my top tips to help you navigate this situation: Take Your Time to Reflect and Regroup: In the midst of a career trans
by
Alan Dixon
Teaser
Amiqus NewsContent Type
News
19/07/2023
Summary
The Amiqus team has just about recovered from a super busy and exciting few days in Brighton for the Develop Conference and Awards. The icing on the cake for us was picking up the
by
Liz Prince
Teaser
BlogsContent Type
News
12/06/2023
Summary
We’re often asked by candidates about how they can stand out during the job application process. With over 20 years of experience as a specialist games recruiter, we’ve got an arsenal of killer
by
Liz Prince
Teaser
Amiqus NewsContent Type
News
07/03/2023
Summary
On this International Women’s Day, we’re delighted to reveal that Amiqus has become an official Women in Games Ambassador. An Individual Ambassador herself, Amiqus’ Business Manage
Teaser
Amiqus NewsContent Type
News
23/02/2023
Summary
Results from the world’s largest four-day week trial have been published, with most participating companies deciding to continue with this new way of working, with productivity, business perform
by
Liz Prince
Related Jobs
Salary
£65,000 + Benefits + Remote (UK)
Location:
Remote UK
Specialisms
Analytics
Data Analyst
Monetisation
Product Manager
User Acquisition
Location
UK
Job type
Permanent
Salary
£50 - 60,000
Description
Product Manager Remote in UK £65,000
Reference
9103
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Alan DixonAuthor
Alan DixonSalary
to £75k plus benefits
Location:
Dundee
Specialisms
Build Programmer
Core Tech Programmer
Engine Programmer
Gameplay Programmer
Graphics Programmer
Programmer
Tools Programmer
Location
Scotland
Job type
Permanent
Salary
£50 - 60,000
£60 - 70,000
£70 - 80,000
Description
Generalist Programmer, C++ UE4/5, to work with this Dundee based studio who's current multiplatform title has over 200m+ downloads. Salary to £75k, hybrid working. No Visa sponsorship.
Reference
9112
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Simon PittamAuthor
Simon PittamSalary
£60,000 - £70,000
Location:
North East or Remote
Specialisms
Creative Director
Designer
Level Designer
Technical Designer
Design Director
Location
Remote working
North East
Job type
Permanent
Salary
£50 - 60,000
£60 - 70,000
Description
This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a studio who are working on an amazing range of new titles
Reference
9107
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Will HudsonAuthor
Will HudsonSalary
£70,000 - £79,000
Location:
North East or Remote
Specialisms
Technical Director
Development Director
Gameplay Programmer
Lead Programmer
Programmer
UI Programmer
Location
Remote working
North East
Job type
Permanent
Salary
£60 - 70,000
£70 - 80,000
Description
This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a studio who are creating a range of amazing new titles
Reference
9098
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Will HudsonAuthor
Will HudsonSalary
£55,000 - £70,000
Location:
Hertfordshire (Hybrid)
Specialisms
Gameplay Programmer
Lead Programmer
Programmer
UI Programmer
Unity Programmer
Location
South East
Job type
Permanent
Salary
£40 - 50,000
£50 - 60,000
Description
This is a fantastic opportunity to work for a studio who are developing a range of new games
Reference
9088
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Will HudsonAuthor
Will HudsonSalary
£30,000 - £48,000
Location:
Liverpool or Remote
Specialisms
Gameplay Programmer
Programmer
UI Programmer
Unity Programmer
Location
Remote working
North West
Job type
Permanent
Salary
£20 - 30,000
£30 - 40,000
Description
This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a studio who are making amazing games
Reference
9072
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Will HudsonAuthor
Will HudsonSalary
£55,000 - £78,000
Location:
Midlands or Remote
Specialisms
Engine Programmer
Programmer
Unity Programmer
Location
Remote working
Midlands
Job type
Permanent
Salary
£30 - 40,000
£40 - 50,000
£50 - 60,000
£60 - 70,000
Description
This is a fantastic opportunity to work on an amazing game with a high number of players (11 million a month!)
Reference
9027
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Will HudsonAuthor
Will HudsonSalary
£55,000 - £78,000
Location:
Midlands or Remote
Specialisms
Graphics Programmer
Programmer
Unity Programmer
Location
Remote working
Midlands
Job type
Permanent
Salary
£50 - 60,000
£60 - 70,000
£70 - 80,000
Description
This is a fantastic opportunity to work with a team who have an industry leading title
Reference
9111
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Will HudsonAuthor
Will HudsonSalary
to £55k plus benefits
Location:
Manchester, North West
Specialisms
Designer
Level Designer
Location
North West
Job type
Fixed Term
Permanent
Salary
£30 - 40,000
£40 - 50,000
£50 - 60,000
Description
Game Designer to work on games / mini-games for this Sports VR platform. Hybrid, 3 days in their central Manchester studio, salary to £55k
Reference
9109
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Simon PittamAuthor
Simon PittamSalary
to £100k plus benefits
Location:
Remote (UK based only)
Specialisms
Tools Programmer
Location
Remote working
UK
Job type
Permanent
Salary
£40 - 50,000
£50 - 60,000
£60 - 70,000
£70 - 80,000
£80 - 90,000
£90 - 100,000
Description
Tools Programmer (Art) to work with this cutting edge AAA games studio in Leamington Spa. Remote (UK only) working available, salary to £100k plus excellent benefits.
Reference
9069
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Simon PittamAuthor
Simon PittamLooking to grow your
career in recruitment?
Perhaps you’re already successful in your recruitment career but thinking about a new challenge.
Or maybe you've had some experience of recruitment but are looking for a more supportive, quality-driven environment.
Whatever the case, now’s your chance to take the next step. Come and work for us!