Women in Marketing: We Unlocked These 5 Courses to Help Accelerate Your Professional Growth

For several years, the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has put together an annual diversity report for the advertising and marketing industry.

The 2021 report shows that though women, overall, continue to make great strides in achieving parity in senior leadership — 55% of CMOs are now women — there remains significant work to do when it comes to attaining racial equity. The ANA’s report also provided intersectionality data — the overlap of gender and ethnicity — and found that female CMOs and equivalents are overwhelmingly White. According to the survey, of female CMOs, 86% are White, 6% are Asian, 5% are Black, and 4% are Latina.

Clearly, there are talented marketers who are women of color. Why aren’t they reaching the highest levels of leadership positions at the same rate? 

The answers are complex and varied, but here on International Women’s Day, it feels like a problem worthy of our collective attention. Navigating gender dynamics, subconscious biases, and institutional racism is a tall task. We may not be able to solve it immediately, but today we’re making available a selection of LinkedIn Learning courses that directly focus on empowering all women in the workplace. 

5 Free Professional Courses to Help Women Advance in B2B Marketing

For the next few weeks (through March 31st) each of these courses is freely accessible for all LinkedIn members. 

1. Inclusive Female Leadership

Instructor: Audrey Genevieve Daniels

Women leaders are confronted with the complex challenges of navigating long-standing biases, as well as juggling the demands of work and life. In this course, executive coach and expert on workplace diversity and inclusion, Audrey Genevieve Daniels shares empowering and inspiring insights to show female leaders how to lead organizations with boldness and confidence.

2. Negotiating Work Flexibility

Instructors: Mike Gutman

Women and people of color are most likely to want a job with more flexibility. Remote Work Consultant and Educator Mike Gutman walks you through pitching a work-flexibility proposal to your boss or HR department. Find out how to build a compelling argument by identifying common work flex options, selecting the right type for your role, and conveying business benefits.

3. Returning to Work With a Resume Gap

Instructors: Susan Rietano Davey and Kelley Biskupiak

If you’re looking to return to work after taking a career break, even a brief one, the process can feel daunting, confusing, and discouraging, especially if you’re navigating the process on your own. In this course, Kelley Biskupiak and Susan Rietano Davey—founders of Prepare to Launch U, a firm focused on work-life transitions—guide you through the steps on the path to reentering the workforce.

4. Planning Your Family Leave and Return

Instructors: Susan Rietano Davey and Kelley Biskupiak

Here is another course from the duo of Kelley and Susan, this one focused on family leave. Family leave, due to childbirth or otherwise, can be challenging to navigate for busy and ambitious marketing pros. As four-time moms and expert planners, these instructors offer powerful advice and insight around rights and benefits, work coverage plans, prioritizing life demands, wellness and more.

5. Becoming a Male Ally at Work

Instructor: Emilie Aries

Women can’t do it alone. In order to conquer the complex and deeply ingrained gender advancement gap in the marketing profession, men need to step up and play a key role as advocates and allies. In this course, Emilie shares clear actions that male marketers can take to help. Viewers will learn how to challenge problematic stereotypes, amplify female voices, and more. 

It’s Time for Women Take the Lead

The biases and barriers holding back women from their fair share of marketing leadership positions are sturdily entrenched, but not unbreakable. We hope that the courses above can play a role in helping your organization make strides toward greater opportunity and equality for women marketers this year. 

For plenty more instructional content to fuel your professional development, peruse all that LinkedIn Learning has to offer.