33% off mothers: Gemma Phillips on exposing the UK's Gender Pension Gap

Creative director Gemma Phillips discusses 'Thanks for your service' and tackling the invisible motherhood penalty through visual commentary.

In her latest campaign for advocacy group Pregnant Then Screwed, creative director Gemma Phillips pulls no punches in exposing the UK's stark gender pension inequality.

By slapping massive discount starbursts over portraits of mothers to mirror a 33% gender pension deficit, the 'Thanks for your service' campaign is typically fluff-free, providing a sharp visual representation of how society devalues mothers' financial futures.

We caught up with Gemma:

Creative Moment (CM): A lot of ads recently have made stats a vibrant part of their work, rather than something dry. Where did you take inspiration from?

Gemma Philips (GP): Inspiration came from the kinds of platitudes society often says to women. It's as if we're being told 'Thanks for your service' but at the same time asked to accept lesser terms of remuneration for that service. By putting giant '33% off' starbursts over beautiful portraits of strong and talented mothers, we're lessening their worth, in the same way the pension system does.

CM: What prompted this campaign, and how long were you sitting on your ideas for?

GP: The idea came out of the problem itself; women being devalued by the current UK pension system. As with previous campaigns, such as Career Shredder (maternity and pregnancy discrimination) and Mother F**ker (C-section mums being underserved through the current UK paternity leave system), the thing we're talking about is often invisible to others. I think the common thread between these campaigns is making the subject matter as visible as possible. In this case, that's hundreds of giant, neon '33% OFF' starbursts. Pensions are particularly invisible, as often the mother herself doesn't see the impact of the gender pension gap until it's too late.

What action do you hope this campaign triggers from the public and policymakers?

Rachel Grocott, CEO of Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “This gender pension gap isn’t something that mums have created; it’s the result of a system that does not value childcare and the true value that mums bring. Mums aren’t bad at saving; they just don’t have any other choice but to sacrifice their future by being there for their children. Pregnant Then Screwed is on a mission to help mums navigate this inequality with pension awareness, advice, and support so they feel more confident about their future.

“We need to start by not ripping mothers off when they are on maternity leave, and by ensuring they have the knowledge and confidence to challenge a system that too often blames them as individuals rather than supporting them in caring for their families alongside work. We also need to improve parental leave so that caring responsibilities are shared, and crucially we need to challenge outdated gender stereotypes which say it's OK for women to have less - because it’s simply not.”

Credits

Creative director: Gemma Phillips 
Photographer: Sane Seven
Designer: Rachel Many
PR: Celia Venables
Producers: Adrianne Langley and Gemma Phillips
Studio: Sliced Studios 
Photography of the OOH: Jenna Hinton 
Print support: Candy and Co
DOOH support: Ocean Outdoor and Bauer Media 
OOH is running in: London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Manchester, Birmingham and Southampton.