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