What is a ‘Pink Ghetto‘ I hear you ask?  According to news reports, a ‘Pink Ghetto’ is an industry that is described as being ‘highly feminised’, i.e. where women make up a predominant percentage of the workforce.  Okay, that explains the ‘pink’ part, but the ‘ghetto’ aspect is less than flattering and has the implication that women get stuck there, and that their presence therein implies some loss of freedom and scaling-down of entitlements.

It would be of little surprise to many that such professions as teaching (particularly primary teaching) nursing and childcare have long been regarded as Pink Ghettos, but I was somewhat surprised to read the recent reporting this week (click here to read the coverage) that both human resources and PR are now regarded as Pink Ghettos too.

A report by Sydney recruitment firm Salt & Shein has found areas like public relations and human resources can be practically male-free zones, which according to the study had left women feeling  “pigeonholed” in certain roles, that there was a “logistical nightmare” managing maternity leave and flexible working arrangements for mothers, and ultimately a lack of diverse views.

I must admit to being fairly puzzled by this reporting.  Why is it that male-dominated professions like mining or automotive industries or banking and finance are not regarded as ‘Blue Ghettos’?

I believe that the subtext of this debate, and what is not being said, is that industries that are regarded as Pink Ghettos are not seen as being prestigious or well-paid, and while that may be true for nursing, teaching and childcare, I don’t agree that the same is true for PR, which provides an industry for men and women that is interesting, stimulating, highly-skilled and well-remunerated.

From my own experience, as PRincipal of Publicity Queen, I have deliberately sought out and incorporated into my team talented, intelligent women and I celebrate the contribution they have made and continue to make to my business and to the clients whom they represent.

Applause also must go to the National President of the Public Relations Institute of Australia Nick Turner, (who is a man, did anyone notice?) who in response to this week’s reporting said any suggestion that corporate affairs teams made up of only women may not be taken as seriously as a male team was “offensive – to females and males” and was “1900s thinking”.  Bravo! Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Even if we accept the statistics that suggest that PR does have a preponderance of women working within in it, let’s own this fact and be proud; and rather than a ‘ghetto’, let’s celebrate the pink powerhouse, the pink presidential suite or even the pink corner office! There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

Yours in PR,

According to Butler, gender is not something people have but something they do. Consequently, it is a social construct that has an impact on an individual’s identity formation. In the context of the public relations industry, service suppliers are aware of the importance of making clients feel they can trust them. Nurture, care and empathy are therefore very important characteristics a PR practitioner has to hold, as this will be necessary to make them come across as a ‘trusted adviser’ (Yeomans, 2010, p. 11), which is the precondition for winning potential new clients over.

However, gender is not only something people do but also something they have. The characteristics that are expected from women can be best epitomised by women, which is something the industry is aware of. This is very well demonstrated by a guideline on the management of client relationships by the CIPR (2009), which encourages PR practitioners to ‘[work] them out as individuals too (…). Flirt with them before the pitch by offering them some opportunities. Above all else, be enthusiastic and passionate’.

Within the PR industry, professionals have got sophisticated ways to exploit the skill of managing emotions. It is therefore far from abstruse that the world of Public Relations is predominantly a woman’s one.

References

Butler, J. (1990). Gender Trouble. Routledge.

Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The Managed Heart. Commercialization of Human Feeling. University of California Press

Hochschild, A. (2003). The Managed Heart. Commercialization of Human Feeling. University of California Press.

Yeomans, L. (2010). Soft Sell? Gendered Experience of Emotional Labour in UK Public Relation Firms. PRism 7 (4)

I think we’ve come a long way, certainly. However, we tend to take things for granted, and see the world as a better place than it actually is. We believe great changes have taken place, and rightly so – but we tend to think there’s no further action necessary, that we live in an almost ideal world. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies, and I am sick of people arguing with me that it is.

The harsh truth is, we often don’t even notice the stereotypes we project. Discrimination becomes by definition unconscious, and it is the most dangerous kind. When society doesn’t know it’s in the wrong, and takes little to no action; that is the situation to avoid at all costs.

It’s like a one-sided effect. Like people talking about rape, and not mentioning the fact that rape can also be done to men, or by women. Similarly, if we look at the immense advancements women’s rights activists have brought to the world, we tend to overlook the fact that there is still a long, long way to go.

Brief history, taken from our weekly lecture: until the 20′s, women didn’t work in professional jobs. Or think of working in professional jobs. Until the 60′s, it was expected from you to give up your job once you’ve married. And in 2010, we still do not have wage equality, in the UK, the USA or Canada.

Of course, this has impacted the PR industry, and even more so since more than 50% of PR practitioners (55% in 2011) are women. One can argue that if jobs done by women are traditionally underpaid, it has an impact on the overall PR industry, lowering average wages for all of us.

In 2011, things look like this, according to a CIPR survey in the UK.

Women still have less of a senior role in PR firms, despite being the majority of the workforce. That might be because they have to balance family life with their professional life (Mitrook 2004), as even thou more men are offering to be stay-at-home dads, a woman might feel an instinctive need to be close to her children.

Another theory (Aldoory and Toth, 2004) stipulates that women lack the right negotiation and leadership styles. I’m not sure how half of the population would lack the ”right” leadership and/or negotiation styles, if there even is such a thing as the ”right” style. I’m also not sure why we have to settle for a patriarchal society, or if we have to pick one of the genders to rule over the other. Of course, that’s a much bigger argument.

1.) Real Publicists take photos with their clients during events- NO! It is the job of a publicist to ensure that the client is being represented in a positive light at ALL times. Events are  not a photo-opp for the publicist. Never take a picture with your client in a club setting, especially with a drink in your hand.

2.) Real Publicists attend parties with clients- NO! As a publicist, you may RSVP to a party on BEHALF of your client, but you do NOT attend a party with them, unless it is an opportunity for media coverage. Even so, it is your job to monitor your clients actions and make sure that they know the party is for branding purposes, not leisure. Stay behind the scenes.

3.) Real Publicists just send out emails, press releases and press kits NO! Publicists do more than press the send button on emails. It is your duty to WRITE PR materials, including, but not limited to backgrounders, fact sheets, media kits, press releases, event announcements, etc. It is also the job of a publicist to creating and maintain relationships with the media. Create a plan for your client to gain more exposure and publicity.

People think that the job of a publicist is all glitter and gold. Like any job, it has its perks, however, the work is hard and very time-consuming. It is more than just writing a pitch or press release. You have to have a strategy and then execute that strategy. Clients trust you with their career. Be confident, reliable and trustworthy. Most importantly, be professional!

The Interview- PR Daily

Their answers astounded me:

1. Detailed oriented
2. Ability to Multitask
3. Education: women are more prone to history and English vs. math and science

In the words of Chandler Bing, “Could you BE any more stereotypical?”

No, but seriously.  But before I begin this entry I have to make note: I don’t discount their opinions. They have miles and miles of PR experience ahead of me and I’ve just begun the race.

But, I’ve been a female for a very long time, and thus I feel entitled to some opinions. And even if I haven’t been a practicing PR professional, I know why I personally got into the public relations field, and it’s the same reason why I believe that men typically don’t.

The media.

So here’s the part where I admit what I will never say out loud again (professors and future employers, please close your eyes): I got into public relations because of “Sex and the City.”

I have always loved to write and it’s always been what differentiated me from my peers. We’re dating back to second grade here, people. Journalism was plan for as long as I can remember, but then one high school day I turned on the TV. And being Carrie Bradshaw wasn’t quite as appealing as being Samantha Jones.

Samantha was a problem solver; she was the one that always seemed to have a creative way out of situations, even if sometimes those plans didn’t work. Samantha was a high-powered businesswoman, and the right-hand (wo)man to some of New York’s top business leaders. Samantha took a waiter and made him into the next Brad Pitt. Carrie wrote witty columns and was the center of the stories, but Samantha was combining journalism and business, and making a lot more money doing it. She didn’t need to get married or date a wealthy man to buy Chanel.

That is why I got into PR, but more so- where I first heard about the industry. Otherwise, no one had mentioned this career path to me. I knew about marketing, I knew about journalism, but until I declared I would be a public relations pro, it really wasn’t talked about in high school.

“Sex and the City” is why I got into PR, but it certainly isn’t why I’ve stayed in the business. I lucked out; public relations is problem solving, being current, being creative, being personable and you have to be a good writer.  It’s a great fit, and I’m one of the few people I know that hasn’t changed their major throughout their college career. At the same time, I also recognize that the PR that I originally thought I’d be practicing and the PR I practice now are not the same thing. “Sex and the City” is a glamorous delusion, and as soon as I got into my public relations classes this myth was debunked.

But if “Sex and the City” is my first glimpse into the public relations field, I’m willing to bet that’s the same for many boyfriends and sons who were forced to watch the show. Or maybe the first mention of public relations was during the episode of Arrested Development when Jessie, a woman, becomes the Bluths’ publicist and also (big surprise) becomes romantically interested in George. Or, dear God, maybe their first look at public relations is by watching “The Spin Crowd.”

Or maybe it’s even more important to point out, that men aren’t watching these shows at all, and don’t even know about public relations when they’re choosing their careers in college, whereas women are.

Nevertheless, the media portrays public relations to a glamorous but comical, female-dominated profession, often filled with a lot of drama. It makes for good TV, but it also perpetuates a stereotype that in my belief, hinders the desire for men to get involved in the industry.

Certainly it’s true that this isn’t the only reason for the industry being 70 percent female. But it’s something to consider.

Detail-oriented and the ability to multi-task are key characteristics to success in a lot of positions. Is the male CEO of a Fortune 500 company detail-oriented and capable of multi-tasking? Absolutely. I think the genderization of public relations delves a lot farther than these stereotypical female traits discussed in the PR Daily video.

Image courtesy of Not Another Single Girl.

On Thursday night I was live tweeting about an event a client of mine had to launch their new mobile app and I saw my boss was following @WomenInPR1… the name enough was catchy because… well… I’m a woman in PR.

Cut to Friday morning, I’m minding my own business catching up on tweets some friends had posted documenting their grand escapades while party hopping… and I see WomenInPR1 is tweeting up a storm– and every. single. tweet was interesting, I even reached for my notebook to take notes but then realized HELLO, I’m on the INTERNET.

Instead of recapping the week of social media news and breakthroughs, I decided to post some really interesting social media advice I acquired from @WomenInPR1. If you already know it, pretend you don’t, and if this is all news to you like it was to me, then have a field day.

1. Thursday is the best day of the week to get the most visibility for a Facebook post.
2. Release major stories in the early morning.
3. If you post between 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST, you risk your content getting pushed down by news feeds and other traffic. (Queue me checking my clock…)
4. When sharing stories, include the full link on FB, that’s 300% more likely to get clicked on than any shortened address.
5. Use both the like and send Facebook buttons on your site.
6. Want the secret behind getting into your friends’ “top news” feed? It’s based on an algorithm known as Edge Rank.
7. Use words like “today,” and “limited-time only,” to increase Edge Rank. (Those tricksters!!)
8. Want to know which words are most “shareable” on Facebook? Try words like “best,” “most,” and those that explain, such as “why,” and “how.”
9. Facebook may be a better platform for making a video go viral than other social media platforms… probably because the site makes it easy to embed multimedia content into a post.
10. Facebook is among the leading drivers of traffic to news websites, so when sharing a good media story, don’t forget to leverage the leading social network.

Women In PR.

@WomenInPR1 is the official Twitter account for Women In PR– their official website is www.WomenInPR.org and their blog can be found at www.WomenInPR.wordpress.com, a vital resource for any female working or aspiring to work in the PR industry. It offers lots of info especially useful to start-up firms and provides a way to network with other PR ladies.

Check out her Twitter, site, and even #womeninPR for some related info. What PR Twitter accounts do you follow for tips and tricks of the trade? I’m always down for some good tweeps to follow.

WHO RUNS THE WORLD?

- AD

P.S. This was the most retweeted pic of the week:

Image courtesy of Mashable.

Via http://www.womeninpr.org/Women_In_PR_Summit.html
This inspirational three day leadership summit is designed especially for power women like you.  Network with industry leaders such as yourself, educate the masses about career strategies and gain a new sense of commitment to your profession and personal growth. 

My goal is to raise at least $500 to attend this summit through sponsorship. If you are interested in attending follow the link above. Also, follow @WomeninPR1 or Facebook Women in PR Summit & Awards Retreat 2011. I recommend you look them up because they publish a great deal of useful information.

“It would be nice to think the waves of smart, young women choosing PR as their career path via a University degree…will gain the rewards of both senior posts and high salaries.  However, I predict that, like my generation, they will find the occupation does not live up to their expectations and develop their career paths elsewhere; particularly if they are not prepared to compromise on having a fulfilling personal as well as professional life“ Heather Yaxley

Heather mentioned that men are still better paid than women and are more likely to hold senior positions. I must admit that at both agencies I have worked for, men have held the most senior position even while the office was predominantly female.

Growing up, I never found being female to be a detriment to my career either scholastically or professionally. Sure, there were those that mentioned that women are still paid less than men for doing the same jobs, but I think I dismissed the idea as arcane and preposterous. Now, as the day of graduation approaches, I am starting to worry that my gender will negatively affect my prospects.

It’s 2011 – I never thought this would truly be an issue.

In some ways, I have found that women are more valuable than men, especially in an industry that hinges upon excellent communication and mutually beneficial relationships.

In reality, what women need (and all new graduates for that matter) is good salary negotiation skills. I am sad to say that Syracuse University has not provided me or my classmates with the skills to secure ourselves the best pay and benefits that we can get. This is a hurtle most new graduates will have to face and we/they are largely unprepared for it.

• July 4-5: Social Media Strategy in London, England
• July 7: @midWest Social Media Conference in Normal, IL
• July 25-26: ExL Pharma’s 7th Public Relations and Communications Summit in Long Branch, NJ
• July 28-31 The PR Daily Retreat in Miami, FL

August

• Aug. 22: Web Writing Boot Camp: How to Write Blog Postings, Tweets and Web Pages That Engage in Chicago, IL
• Aug. 25: Women In PR Power Luncheon in Los Angeles, CA

September

• Sept. 8: Designing A New Future: Lessons in Leadership and Innovation for Agency CEOs and Executives in Charlottesville, VA
• Sept. 8: Women in PR Connect Luncheon Fashion Week in New York, NY
• Sept. 13: PR Boot Camp: Key Concepts and Techniques of Effective Public Relations in Las Vegas, NV
• Sept. 18-20: 9th Annual North American Summit on Public Relations Measurement in Philadelphia, PA
• Sept. 20: PRWeek’s Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Communications Congress 2011 in London, England
• Sept. 21: Social Media and New Media PR Boot Camp in Atlanta, GA
• Sept. 22: Employee Engagement: Empowering Your Organization’s Best Advocates in New York, NY
• Sept. 23: Advanced Content Marketing Workshop in Atlanta, GA
• Sept. 23: Media Training Boot Camp: Control Your Message to Get the Quotes You Want in New York, NY
• Sept. 29: Women in PR Networking Dinner in Washington, DC

October

• Oct. 14-18: PRSSA 2011 National Conference in Orlando, FL
• Oct. 23-25: PRIA National Conference, PR Directions in Sydney, Australia

November

• Nov. 4: Writing That Sells – Products, Services and Ideas in New York, NY
• Nov. 4-6: Women In PR Summit and Awards Retreat 2011 in Miami, FL
• Nov. 17: Social Media and New Media PR Boot Camp in Houston, TX

December

• Dec. 1: Social Media and New Media PR Boot Camp in New York, NY
• Dec. 5: Strategic Communication Planning and Action in New York, NY
• Dec. 8: Advanced Crisis Communication Strategy in New York, NY
• Dec. 12: PR Boot Camp: Key Concepts and Techniques of Effective Public Relations in New York, NY

Did we miss a big event? Let us know and we’ll be sure to add it!

When young educated men became articled clerks, they were respected as pillars of the community, one of few men who could read and write and eventually advocate.  Their role as PA, secretary and research assistant was seen as vital for justice.  Now, the legal profession is being torn apart from the inside and law firms are under threat from supermarkets and internet sites which can provide bulk legal services a lot cheaper.

When the vocal, opinionated man took his place on the board of directors organising what we now call PR and marketing activities, he was respected.  Now, anyone with a Twitter account thinks they can do PR.  And, the PR profession is predominately made up of female technicians and a few male strategists.

Whether or not we are embarrassed by Bernays’ Torches of Freedom campaign or Ivy Lee’s Colorado mining exploits, we still see the foundations of PR as coming from a male, white, American, educated, business/professional background.  And, with that background, PR can still take a top seat at the table.  However, more often than not, PR practitioners are female and from a media/creative/arts background – and often, taken far less seriously by the middle-aged white men on the board.

Obviously this is a huge generalisation – not all PR people are women, not all female PR people are excluded from the boardroom.

However, there is an interesting study to be completed as to the influence of women entering the professions (medicine and law) as well as PR and marketing.  Something for another year I think!

• Embracing the embarrassing – Karen’s presentation and some other thoughts on PR which will one day become embarrassing or history
• The hypocrisy and opportunity – CIPR jobs don’t specify PR-specific education but the organisation wants to support the development of education and its endorsement by practitioners
• The evolution of UK PR consultancies – inspired by Jane Howard
• All old media were once new media – why it is still the message which matters, rather than the channel
• Defining PR – inspired by Kaja Tampere – which type of vodka?!
• Ethics in PR – the client may take responsibility for the ideology, but PR must take responsibility for the discourse and the methos of communication
• Two way communication – is most PR information rather than communication?
• Professionalisation – the introduction of women in the ’80s and the onset of the ‘petticoat profession’
• Presentation skills and the approach to imparting information – read, present or discuss?
• CSR is not new, nor a Western concept – what happens when corporate is dropped from SR?
• The lust effect – Apple’s iPad

However, before I can sit and work through these ideas, I really must get on with my CIM project – assessing the effectiveness of marketing activities and recommending areas for improvement in efficiency, impact and ROI.

Though India still has the male dominant culture especially in work places where women don’t get equal opportunity and respect in some professions, PR has become one of the professions where women has the chance to lead the way.

Culberton & Chen, 1996, International Public Relations A Comparative Analysis, Lawrence Erlbaum, USA

I attended a debate the other week, looking at the role of women in Public Relations. The statement put to the panel was “Women will always work in PR but will never run it.”

I feel that one of the most difficult obstacles which women face in climbing the corporate ladder is the role of informal networking in the organization. “The old boys’ network is still alive and kicking, with a new form of informal male bonding reinforcing the glass ceiling against women” (Maxine Firth, The Independent). In the majority of cases it is not intentionally set up to do so, however it does prevent women and minorities from being truly successful in the business world, as they are not privy to as many opportunities. The old boys clubs tend to meet outside of office hours, building relationships on the golf course, at exclusive clubs, through private alumni’s and social clubs to name but a few. Those who do not belong to these elite circles of influence miss out on many career opportunities.

In an attempt to retain and motivate female employees, companies like American Express, GE, Johnson & Johnson and Time Warner are developing women’s networks that build skills, contacts and confidence. They provide an infrastructure within which women can earn recognition, and display their own talents.

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!

Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion about the growing majority of women in public relations.The gender imbalance can be seen as very unhealthy for the industry. Why are men reluctant to join the PR industry. Is it because it is viewed as a feminine industry, or the “pink ghetto” as many call it.

The truth is, women have been “the new majority” in PR for a decade. We dominate on both the agency and the corporate sides. Everywhere, that is, but at the top. That fact, rather than the idea that men might be scared away from PR, is what is a real issue. (NYICI*)

The debate last week was centered around women in PR and how they would or would never make it to the top. When I look around in my class, I see women, a room full of women with only four men.

While some of the debaters argued that women would never make it to the top, others were adamant that women would reach the top.  And why not? Just yesterday Kathryn Bigelow made history by becoming the first woman to win the best director Oscar, in a male dominated sector. If this only just happened, then women in PR have a fair chance of reaching the top.

The excuses to explain the position of women are many, for example, family and motherhood or colleagues opine that we women are so busy making our clients and superiors look good that we don’t promote ourselves. Or, that many don’t really want the responsiblity of being CEO. Others blame it on clients, claiming they’re not that comfortable with a female chief.

There might be women who think along those lines, but a majority of us are up to the challenge.

Some say we are getting there. They point to Marcia Silverman, who served as CEO of Ogilvy PR for seven years .At the largest firms, there’s APCO’s Margery Kraus, Donna Imperato (Cohn & Wolfe), and Barby Siegel, who recently took the CEO post at Zeno. Melissa Wagener Zorkin, Jen Prosek  and Laura Tomasetti are CEOs of significant firms as well. But, they, in addition to Kraus, are entrepreneurs who built their own firms.(NYICI*)

So what are the real reasons behind women not reaching the top? If there are always dicussions about the feminization of PR, then clearly there is a problem. What is the solution?

Is the next generation of PR practitioners to be, including me, make the change. I for one, will not stop till I reach the top and I firmly believe women can and will make it to the top.

Happy Women’s Day…

* http://www.nywici.org/features/blogs/aloud/feminization-pr-why-aren%E2%80%99t-more-women-top

The topic for the debate is : “Women will always work in PR but will never run it.” This indirectly implies: women may not be able to lead a PR agency.

women power?

Supporting the motion could be an herculean task because it requires extreme caution and maturity in presentation.

The contentious argument on Women in Public Relations was influenced by a book written by three distinguished female scholars in the United States of America: Larissa A. Grunig, Elizabeth Lance Toth, Linda Childers.

The 424 page book “Women in Public Relations: How Gender Influences Practice” which was published in 2001 provides statistics on existing disparity in remuneration between the male and female in PR and on how women are denied top top managerial positions in PR profession. Their argument is that public relations by definition is feminine profession where women should have equal right or higher roles than their male counterparts.

I strongly believe that the argument shouldn’t be on emotion and sentiment or on so-called ‘gender inequality.’ Rather it should be viewed from the reality on the ground in the seeming men dominated world.

I can only offer the following reasons:

Attributes: Women may have positive attributes such as humility, intelligent, attractive and obedient; the nature of PR in decision-making requires men’s attributes: forceful and decisiveness in meeting some set targets. This may include risky ventures like lobbying and spinning.

Networking: The job of public relations is also about high networking and socializing that may include working/meeting at hours, days, and environments. Such networking may be for research or to reach more clients and for strategic media relations. Networking and contacts are bedrock of PR agencies.

Biological composition: Women have periods of non-productivity in their life that they could not engage in strenuous exercise and mental thinking. Menstrual and pregnancy periods are natural phenomena that may distract women from creative ideas and their implementation.

Maternity Leave: One of the major excessive generosities granted to women in most work places is maternity leave and maternity pay, where they receive their salaries including allowances without working. The men do not have paternity leave so couldnt get similar largesse. It will therefore be wrong to ask for equal pays for the sexes.

Cultural Barrier: Nations and societies have different values and cultures attached to gender issues. There are some nations and communities that would not assign women to high responsibilities. Some of those societies can be found in the Asia, Mideast and Africa. Even in some western countries, women only become more conspicuous in social and political circles few decades ago.

Motherly Nature: Women are largely seen as the best homemakers for affectionate disposition to their family especially in the upbringing of the children. The moral dilemma is how many women will sacrifice the family and mostly their kids for a tasking working career?

Dress Code: As much as PR is about appropriate presentation of oneself, women habitually like to draw more attentions to themselves (makeup, costumes) than to their skills and knowledge on the (PR) job. This unfortunately is genesis of most cases of sexual harassments against male bosses.

Conclusion
There is nothing wrong on gender equality through the diversity of responsibilities but arguing on the basis of inferiority and superiority complex would not advance a justifiable cause for women to rise to top managerial levels. They need to see the opposite sex as a partner to reach their goals.

Above submission is just a contribution to the debate not necessarily a personal opinion of this writer.

YAShuaib

James E. Grunigs book called Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management (1992.) addresses this issue in the chapter on Women and Public Relations: Problems and Opportunities.
First of all the ingrained  stereotypes of women follow them to the workplace as well. These are not just held by men but by women as well. Therefore women tend to underestimate themselves and the importance of the work they do. This is a self confidence issue.

The other thing that was identified as a structural issue was that the informal networking and decision making channels in the workplace is pretty much for men, by men.  Men in decision making positions often prefer this because they find it more conformable to work with people who are on the same level and from the same gender. This is of course problematic, because in any profession being excluded from these circles is a dead end to the career. Today’s trend in which women form professional     women’s forums are a reaction to this, but I’m not sure how effective it can be. How can two gender based circles, built to exclude each other, work together?

Women don’t just try to from similar structures that had been traditionally built by men but they often try to take on manlike personality traits. Hon Grunig and Dolzier found this is not the solution. Women who behave like men, or are perceived to do so are usually perceived negatively.  They suggest that instead of trying to turn into men, the industry needs to introduce feminine values and change the structure to accommodate women on all levels.
Furthermore the examples of women who made it to the top should be featured to encourage others.

Finally the equalization of women is a large scale social change that is mirrored in the workplace. Remember in many western countries women didn’t have the right to vote and now women have their own rights, lives and pursue all sort of professions.  Since PR is already a very feminized industry, it has good chance to be controlled by women sooner than other more masculine professions. Following this logic current trends are just temporary.

Image from: flickr.com

Will there always be more male managers than female in the PR Industry?

So the mission for this debate was “Women will always work in PR but never run it”.

Perhaps one of the most heated and passionate debates so far… I was against the mission. Why?

Luisa’s group argued that women will never be able to run PR, due to the primary role of a woman in culture and the constraints of society.

 A recent article Grunig wrote in relation to Public relations and the paradigms of PR (I also made reference to this in my previous post), stresses the effectiveness of diversity in the PR industry, “effective organisations tend to increase the diversity in the public relations function when the diversity in their environment increases…’ However Grunig makes a point – the diversity increases only when the diversity of their environment has.

Relating this back to the motion, that ‘women will only work in PR but never run it’, is this purely dependant on the reflection of society and other industries being led by women?

Leading the way for the ladies. Lorraine Heggessey, CEO of Talkback Thames

For example – Leading Independent production company, Talkback Thames is headed by Lorraine Heggessey who also used to be Controller of BBC. The head of communications at Talkback Thames is Mary O’Reilly. In fact Talkback Thames’ whole inhouse publicity team is made up of women. So what does this say about the broadcast industry? What must also be factored is the content produced by Talkback Thames. Reality television such as Britains Got Talent and The X-factor, tends to be more of a human interest viewing, usually associated with a female audience.

So is it fair to say that women in Entertainment PR will dominate the industry because they can relate to their target audience? Perhaps this is the case but then will men run other PR sectors?

Either way, yes, women will always work in PR, as will men. And surely, gender issues aside, the main point should be that either man or woman should be equally fit  to perform the tasks. If they can relate to an audience and are delivering effective PR campaigns, then honestly – what does it matter. Can’t society be content with equality based on performance rather than equality for equalities sake?

That’s the motion for today’s class debate and the motion is absolutely not true!!

The team that spoke for the motion argued that women are emotional and have bad decision- making skill. Therefore, women can’t never be on the top of the industry as decision-making is a crucial part on the top level. It might be true that women tend to be emotional, but we need to keep in mind that NOT ALL women are emotional and are bad decision-makers.

In fact, women have all the relevant personalities and skills to work in PR field. Women are known for their good multitasking skill, which is an essential skill to work in PR agencies where one needs to handle many accounts at the same time. Women also have great skill in building and maintaining relationships, which matches the nature of PR which is about building relationships.

Now, let’s set aside women’s personalities. I would like to draw your attention to the following points I made.

• Firstly, there are more men on the top position currently because women are relatively young players in the industry if compared to men. Women were supposed to be housewives only, but then, more and more women had entered workplaces to become career women.

• Secondly, women have less opportunity to be promoted to the top level if compared to men. Most companies are still reluctant to have females in their top position, which is unfair! Hopefully, in this growing emancipation era, women will then have the same opportunity to be promoted to the top level.

I believe that in the coming years, more women will be on the top position in PR industry. So men, be prepared!

It is with this mindset that I explore a new question: Is PR a women’s industry?

Now, first, as a disclaimer, I’d like to point out that I’m a student blogger and my topics are mere questions that I face and answers that I find. These might be brazen claims, but they are prompted by the fact that my internship and PR classes are female-dominated and this leads me to question whether that is the nature of the industry.

Sorry, guys. It is not my intention to ostracize. I also don’t wish to ostracize my own sex with the assertions I’m about to make based on clichés. I, rather, wish to question why I feel so comfy in PR. If we consider the stereotypical female persona, the one so often caricatured in sitcoms and their accessory traits – a persona with which I often identify- and compare it to PR, are they are perfect fit?

1 . PR is about communcation: We handle situations by talking. Not only that but we learn methods of talking that help us shape our message so that people understand us. We even adopt cadences to our voices to give us credibility and authority as we make our arguments and appeals. We tailor our language to each audience. Oprah says this is healthy so we do it.

2. PR is about relationships: My life is relationships, family, friends, boyfriends, teachers, bosses. I think about relationships, I talk about relationships. I’m good at relationships. Not only that, I manage my relationships. What’s more, I look for new ways to be better at managing my relationships. And if you’ve ever watched Sex and the City, this is in every episode.

3. PR is sometimes about SPIN: There are times when some publicists are forced to talk out of their badonkadonk in order to manage a client’s reputation. Some might call it being manipulative. I call it good celebrity PR.

4. There’s a soothing nature to PR: In a time of crisis, our client’s causes become our own and we form a Florence Nightingale attachment. It’s a natural, and, dare I say, nurturing response.

5. PR is SEXY: Sometimes it’s about talking the talk and walking the walk. It’s about perception and attraction. It’s about flashy marketing stunts and reputation make-overs.

6. Lastly, PR plays games and likes gossip: PR people play word games and mind games. And now, more than ever, we play these games to create buzz or gossip about our clients and their work. We love it when things go viral. We go crazy when everyone’s talking about it. It makes us want to talk about it more so that we can generate more buzz and have a final authority on the situation: “Actually, I heard on TMZ that this is Lindsay’s fifth time in rehab, not fourth.”

Obviously, this list is not representative of every woman and these are very much some things in which both men and women participate. It does, however, bring some insight about why I, for one, enjoy PR. It speaks my language. It uses my tactics. It mimics my voice. It demands my kind of communication. It calls to me.

*Image courtesy of http://bothhands.files.wordpress.com