Balance: How Important Is It?

There are increasing concerns among critics and PR practitioners over whether a large number of women in PR is unhealthy for the field. Many believe that a workplace dominated by women does not function as well as a workplace with representatives of both genders could have functioned. There have been a number of suggestions for tackling this issue, i.e attracting more men into the industry. Some feel harsh measures are needed, like offering men higher salaries than women for doing the same job, or hiring a less-qualified man over a more qualified woman. Others propose implementing special programmes, such as internships or developmental assignments, to bring men into the profession, as well as attracting more male students to the PR educational courses.

Personally I think balance is important in every field, and both men and women can bring different aspects into the working environment. But I do not believe large numbers of women are a serious threat to the successful functioning of the PR field. If women posses good traits for the profession, then why should not they be doing a job which suits them best and which they feel comfortable in? At the same time, I still feel the industry should not abandon its efforts to lure more men, as long as these efforts do not include extreme methods like positive discrimination. The PR field might learn from the examples of successful efforts of other industries, like medicine, law and business, where women used to be severely underrepresented, to bring more of them in, and apply these strategies to attract men.

As about prejudices against female workers, it is a shame if some employers or clients still feel that hiring a male representative would equal a job better done, but I feel this attitude is already shifting as time goes by, so I do not think it seriously harms the perception of the PR field. After all, as long as organisations and people need PR services, they will use these services… And as we all know, PR is now more in demand than ever!

Female PR Bloggers in the Minority?

Another puzzling development in PR which I came across while doing my research was the fact that, in a profession largely dominated by women, the majority of PR blogs are authored by men. The number of quality blogs tracking the practice of public relations is growing rapidly, however women have been slow to catch up with men. This is unfortunate, as by missing out on blogging female practitioners miss out on a helpful business tool which allows them to connect with their peers, broaden their professional network, keep informed on the industry and take part in debates about issues in the PR field.

According to a 2006 article in the PRSA’s (Public Relations Society of America) Strategist magazine, written on the subject of the gender blogging divide, one of the factors driving the disparity could be the difference in how men and women approach the Internet. Research shows that men are indeed more tech-savvy, and this could provide an initial advantage in using blogs, which, until recently, required a great deal of technical skill to navigate. However, today the tools and software are considerably easier to use, so hopefully women will participate more in the future.

The author of the article, Kami Watson Huyse, makes an interesting point by stressing that blogging is still mostly a personal activity, and even when it is used for professional advantage, employers are often not willing to pay for the time and commitment required to create and maintain a blog. As a result, women who are already overloaded at work and home might feel discouraged from blogging. In order to overcome these obstacles, Huyse suggests maintaining a group blog. She gives two successful examples of group PR blogs with female contributors in the US – Byline, PRSA San Antonio Chapter’s blog, and Multicultural, Edelman’s blog.

For anyone of you interested in female bloggers out there, here is a list of PR blogs authored by women: http://www.bloglines.com/public/kamichat

The Salary Debate

Despite the superiority of women in PR in terms of their numbers, studies show time and time again that men earn more than women do. According to the PR Week Salary Survey 2005, male PR practitioners make on average $32,462 more than their female counterparts. However, what I found really interesting was the fact that the difference increased with age. So at entry level, at the ages of 26-30, the salary gap between the genders was virtually non-existent. In fact, women’s salaries were even slightly higher! But if the gap for the age group of 31-35 was $14.26 in favour of men, for the oldest age group of 61-65 it went up to the highest point - $36.38 in favour of men!

These results demonstrate that women fail to advance up the career ladder at the same rate as men, and as a result do not earn as much. The reasons why this is the case are a subject of extensive research and debate since the 1980s. Even though today women comprise 70% of the field, they are a minority in management. The majority of PR practitioners operating at board level are male. Instead women tend to cluster in the lower-pay technician roles. Researchers have suggested that there is a so-called “glass ceiling” – an invisible barrier that blocks women from obtaining top upper management jobs. But could this barrier be self-inflicted rather than a result of discrimination?

Firstly, women could feel more comfortable in technician roles. They might be naturally more suitable for these types of jobs, so job satisfaction could be more important to them than career achievements.

Secondly, factors like higher male salary expectations and stronger careerist orientation should not be underestimated. Also, women tend to be less confrontational than men and might have difficulties in negotiating a higher salary.

Thirdly, many successful career women either do not return back to work after a career break, or stay at the technician job because it leaves more free time for looking after the children and the household. It is easier for men to progress up the career ladder as they do not have as many household responsibilities. In fact, it has been found that childless young career women’s salaries are 98% of comparable men’s salaries (Wilcox et al., 2003).

It should also be noted that male practitioners generally tend to work in the best-paid specialties of PR, such as investor relations and financial services, whereas female practitioners are found more often in lower-paid specialties like community relations and internal communications.

So how is the salary situation likely to develop in the future? At the moment it is difficult to make any predictions. But hopefully equality in pay will be achieved eventually as women become more career-oriented, gain more professional experience, and as family responsibilities become increasingly shared by men.

Why PR?

So why do so many women turn to PR as their profession? What does it have to offer, salaries aside, that is so attractive to them?

The most popular assumption is that women are naturally better suited to PR than men because they have better communication skills, are more sympathetic, and are better listeners. It is also believed that women are more creative, practical rather than theoretical, and more attentive to detail. In their book, Wilcox et al. (2003) refer to a number of studies which apparently demonstrate why women are perfect for public relations:

“They display self confidence, assertiveness, risk-taking attitudes, and accountability necessary for business success… The public relations major appeals to many women because it blends creativity and business.”

It almost appears as if women are genetically more suitable for the job! But is this enough to explain why the PR profession has become dominated by them?

A further explanation, mentioned by Greg Smith in his 2005 research into the predominance of women in Australian PR (published in Behind the Spin magazine’s web log), is that the PR profession has become associated with glamour and parties, and is now perceived as a “soft” career option, which makes it more desirable for potential female entrants. In fact, this was the most popular reason given by the representatives of more than 120 PR firms Smith has surveyed.

One more widespread explanation for the feminization of PR is the flexibility of the industry. The PR profession provides an opportunity for women to have a successful career and express themselves professionally, while still balancing work with family life to a certain degree. The spread of new media technology, in particular, has resulted in the emergence of thousands of freelance practitioners, predominantly female.

Being a female interested in PR, I would say the reasoning behind my choice is probably the feeling that this career is most suitable for my skills and abilities. I like the fact that PR is creative, and I like a challenge. But from personal experience I can say it is probably true that people tend to perceive this industry as a flashy, glamorous and fashionable one. Ever since I started my MA course, I have been asked by a female friend (a business student) whether all the people on my course are really glamorous, and a male friend (a journalism student) inquired whether I chose this career path because of the parties. It is not difficult to work out what kind of view my friends hold of the PR field!

But what do YOU think is the reason for large numbers of women in PR? Have your say!

The "Sex and the City" World

Talking about international perspective! Check out the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations) President Tony Bradley’s impressions of his trip to Croatia back in October, recorded on his blog. Attendees at the Croatian Public Relations Conference were treated to an inspiring speech about ways of attracting more men into the industry… followed by Cosmopolitan cocktails and a conference goodie bag with a cocktail shaker, exotic drinks recipes and an aerosol of Pantene hair styling mousse! So much for challenging stereotypes, I say.

Feminisation of PR

It is no secret that over the last 20 years or so PR has experienced an influx of women. In fact, figures released by the Institute of Public Relations (IPR) in 2004 show that women outnumber men by 60:40 – compare this to the 1980’s, when figures highlighted the opposite at 20:80. I suspect the numbers of women in the industry are even higher now!

According to Wilcox et al. (2003), nearly 80% of the candidates for entry-level PR jobs are women.

In my MA class for Public Communication and PR women make up the majority of students, and this is the case with most public relations educational courses now.

Also, according to Gidon Freeman, editor of PR Week, the gender readership split for the industry’s magazine has moved even more in favour of women – with a 65:35 ratio.

So, as a result, something once considered to be a male-only occupation is now widely regarded to be a typically women’s profession. Now, whether this development is a problem or an opportunity for the industry is currently a subject of a very heated debate. Feminization has been at the fore of discussions about the future of the PR field with regard to professionalism, prestige, and salaries. Many believe that so many female practitioners do not help improve the perception of PR, an industry that is still not being taken seriously enough as it is. The sad truth is that traditionally female jobs have never been taken as seriously as those dominated by men, and PR could appear a fluffy and girlie occupation, discouraging prospective male entrants even further.

Welcome!

Having just returned from my Christmas and New Years trip to Amsterdam, I ended up starting up my blog much later than initially planned! I have never tried blogging before, so I have to admit to feeling slightly nervous about the whole experience. Nevertheless, I am also really excited about trying it out and hope it will be of some interest to all of you visitors to my page!

The topic I will be discussing here is the growing number of women in public relations, and how this impacts the perception of the profession. I will also look at possible reasons why so many women are attracted to the industry and try to look at the possible future developments.

The literature I have looked at so far is primarily focused on the United Kingdom and the United States, but feel free to give examples of your own countries!

Thanks!