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.
2 comments:
I think that generally worldwide, women dominate the PR industry BUT until I came here to London that I realised how gender-centred the field was. This maybe due to the smallness of the industry we don’t take notice of such things and there are not many consultancies in the Pacific – more common are in-house practitioners. Nursing, politics or senior management areas usually come up when people talk about gender-dominated professions, not PR.
But generally, yes women dominate the PR industry in the Pacific. While some women hold the senior positions, they would in most cases report to a man. But this isn't always the situation, many of my colleagues are women and manage their PR office. Of the people I do know who are managers in PR, they also have other areas of responsibility like marketing, advertising and publications. Probably having a mix of roles de-feminises the industry!
I really do not see the feminisation of PR as a threat to the PR profession because women have often proved to be as equally and sometimes even better talented than men in so many professions. If women in professions like politics, medicine and engineering which are considered tougher than PR have been able to standout against their male counterparts even when balancing work and parenting, why can't they standout in PR. True, those professions are not dominated by women but if women can excel in such fields why can't they excel in public relations. Its just a matter of doing your job and doing it well regardless gender . I think the fear that feminisation is a threat to the PR profession stems from the prejudices which the society still holds against women. I will therefore urge the women in PR to take up the challenge and prove to the society that women can be equally good PR practitioners and leaders as men if not better.
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