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Wella Company takes an Inside Look at Gender Equity in Professional Beauty

Wella announces their latest industry research with 600 beauty professionals and the stories of women in the industry.

Annie Young- Scrivner, CEO of Wella Company said,

“At Wella Company, our business is built on the foundation of women – our more than 500,000 customers across 100 countries worldwide, and our hair and nail beauty-loving customers and consumers everywhere.

While women dominate the professional beauty service industry in sheer numbers, they are still working towards equal pay and securing positions of decision-making. Moreover, due to the pandemic, women are losing their jobs or dropping out of the workforce in growing numbers due to caregiving responsibilities and pay inequality.

To understand the current context in major global markets including the United States and the United Kingdom, we conducted a meta-analysis of existing research, fielded a beauty professional survey to 600 beauty professionals and collected stories from women in the industry resulting in: An Inside Look at Gender Equity in Professional Beauty. By casting a light on this topic, our hope is that we can be a leader in choosing to challenge bias with the ultimate goal of driving meaningful impact for all.”

The research shows that in the US, women hold about 89.6% of professional beauty service jobs, yet out of the top seven global professional beauty companies, only two companies, including Wella Company, have female CEOs. At Wella Company, they report that 57% of global employees are female and 45% of whom are director level or above.

The study found that in the US and Globally, work remains to be done. They found that 59% of women in professional beauty believe their male counterparts earn more money. As well, 63% if US professionals believe high-level, corporate decision markers in the beauty industry to be males.

They found that, the pandemic has further negatively impacted women in the professional beauty industry. 58% of females cited that restrictions are preventing women-owned beauty businesses from surviving, 29% cited insufficient funding/ financial support to become an independent stylist/ nail tech or salon owner, and 21% feel that the culture of men holding hight profile positions is standing in the way of success.

Since the start of the pandemic, Wella Company has implemented support initiatives, including the following: “Our teams in North America have deployed a $200,000 fund through Hairdressers at Heart to help cushion the burden that licensed professional hairstylists, nail techs, salon owners and educators have experienced through lost business, educational investment and more.

“Around the world, Wella has provided 100+ free education classes online and via Instagram during the pandemic.”

For more information and to see the report, go to: https://www.wellacompany.com/news/inside-look-at-gender-equity-in-professional-beauty