Upcoming study showing female professionals in cannabis continue to bloom
In honor of International Women’s Day, we chatted with Jennifer Whetzel, the founder of Ladyjane Branding, a cannabis-centric branding agency.
In addition to running her branding agency respectably giving a nod to ladyhood, Whetzel has also launched a study following female professionals in the cannabis industry.
She told us the study is in its beginning phases, but so far the results are inspiring and display the strong presence and influence of female professionals in the industry. Whetzel and her team have received input from over 800 women so far.
“We have found three main reasons why women enter this industry,” said Whetzel. “A passion for the plant, to use their existing skills in a new industry, and financial opportunity.”
Whetzel added that 68% of women surveyed confirmed that they use cannabis daily.
She went on to tell us that 86% of women consider themselves to be successful. Additionally, many women love their jobs because of the happiness it brings them, as well as giving them the time they desire to spend with family and friends. These women valued those aspects of their careers over the money it brings to them.
At the moment, Whetzel explains that the study is a bit overrepresented at the top, with the majority of participants holding C-suite, executive positions. This will even out over time, as the goal of the study is to gain data on every position in the industry, all the way to the budtenders and trimmers.
Though Whetzel’s sample size doesn’t yet show the whole picture, according to a Marijuana Business Daily survey, nearly 37% of senior-level jobs in the cannabis space are held by women. The article says, “Although the number of women holding top spots has vacillated since 2015, the percentage of women top executives in the cannabis space is still far higher than the national average of 21% for all businesses in the United States.”
An interesting fact to note, Whetzel said that 75% of the women her team surveyed came into the industry in 2014 or later. This represents tremendous female growth as of recent years in the cannabis industry, hopefully foreshadowing even more opportunities in the future for women to shine.
Whetzel says their first report of the study will come out in May 2020, presented as in academic journal style. Whetzel and her team are working with a market research company on this project, and the report will feature interviews from women in the industry who were surveyed.