WAVE, Kari Martinez partner to study female representation in the AV industry

The partners will gather demographic data for the 2020 Women + Girls in AV Survey

The Women in AV (WAVE) organization have partnered with The Kari Martinez for the audiovisual (AV) industry’s first demographic data gathering about the professional women and girls working in the industry. To conduct this analysis, WAVE and Martinez have created the 2020 Women + Girls in AV Survey, which is open to the public now until Friday, March 13th and can be accessed at https://www.thekarimartinez.com/the-women-girls-in-av-study.

“We don’t require statistics to know women are underrepresented in the AV Industry” Jennifer Willard, Founder of Women in AV, said. “However, a lack of meaningful data to baseline where we stand with respect to gender equality prevents us from creating targeted, effective professional development and inclusion programs addressing specific barriers women face pursuing careers in technology. As important, we hope the results of the Women + Girls in AV Study will uncover areas women share in common, as well as, what makes us each unique and special.”

Female participation in AV and technology industries has historically suffered underwhelming numbers. According to ISACA 2017’s Women in Tech Survey, women associate a lack of mentors and role models, gender bias, as well as, unequal growth opportunities as obstacles to advancing their careers in technology*.

The new 2020 Women + Girls in AV Survey will gather credentials of individual women to develop a benchmark of the AV industry’s overall female representation. The survey asks participants to share their experiences in key diversity and inclusion matters; including whether they feel welcomed, have mentors, and how they entered the industry. The survey will also explore geographic, seniority levels, and which market sectors women employ within the AV industry.

“I ask a lot of questions and I love connecting with people, which was why I created the Girls/Women Lifestyle Study,” said Kari Martinez, professional live audio engineer. “From reading the responses, I managed to turn the numbers into people, and those people into a community I can connect with and relate to. By collaborating with Women in AV (WAVE) to create the first industry study dedicated to finding out who the women and girls in AV are, I hope it will empower more veterans and young grasshoppers, like me, to unite, learn together, and teach one another.”

WAVE and Martinez ask that all organizations and individuals share the survey link, https://bit.ly/2umWLfc, with their female colleagues to encourage them to participate. The Women + Girls in AV Survey is active through Friday, March 13th and results will be available in late April 2020. To take the survey, visit https://bit.ly/2umWLfc.

TheKariMartinez.com is an online platform where Kari uses her communication skills and experience in live sound to create a community where girls can get encouragement, information, relate, and be empowered using diverse tools of research, blogs, lifestyle options, and more. Get involved at www.thekarimartinez.com and follow her on Twitter @thekarimartinez.

* ISACA 2017 Women in Technology Survey here.