Women in Higher Education Public Relations: An Inkling of Change? (original) (raw)
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Constructing public relations as a women’s profession.
Tsetsura, K. (2014). Constructing public relations as a women’s profession. Revista Internacional de Relaciones Públicas (International Journal of Public Relations), 4(8), 85-110. [Special Issue on European Public Relations]. Retrieved from http://revistarelacionespublicas.uma.es/index.php/revrrpp/article/view/293/178
Women in public relations (1982–2019)
Journal of Communication Management
PurposeThis paper aims to analyse the current literature on women in public relations to establish trends and areas of inquiry in the literature and identify research gaps for future research.Design/methodology/approachA total of 223 articles have been empirically analysed using thematic analysis to identify trends in the existing literature. The data has been coded and analysed per decade (1982–1989, 1990–1999, 2000–2009, 2010–2019). The articles have been identified by searching major journals in the field of public relations and communications, as well as snowballing from identified articles.FindingsThe results show that the majority of academic articles have been produced by using lived experiences of women working in the public relations industry and thus reflect the professional situation of female public relations employees. The results show that the position of women has reached a full circle in four decades of research and returned to the discriminatory work environment. Fi...
2016
It has been well established that Public Relations is a gendered industry, evidenced by the number of women working in the industry has grown considerably in the past decades (CIPR State of the Profession Report 2015; Verhoeven & Aarts 2010; Fitch & Third 2010; Daymon & Demetrious 2010; Wyatt 2013; Aldoory & Toth 2002). However, even though Public Relations is a predominantly female industry, female practitioners face obstacles in achieving equality with their male colleagues. The most common problems are the wage gap and the glass ceiling (Grunig et al 2001; Place 2015; Merchant 2012; Fröhlich and Peters 2007).
The predominance of women in public relations (2007, PhD)
As (almost) everyone in the Australian public relations industry knows, there are more women than men. On average, the numbers in Perth (and nationally) favour women by slightly more than three to one. However, the figures are alarmingly high, and, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, make PR one of the most female-intensive industries in Australia.
Public Relations Review, 2017
The state of women's research in public relations is strong. However, different women's stories-as well as men's stories who are not part of the standard White, heterosexual, American experience-are severely underrepresented in public relations practice and research. This review of research from the past 11 years shows that the practice has significant room to grow in terms of welcoming and providing a successful, equitable workplace environment to practitioners from marginalized groups. Specifically, research about the experiences of women of color, LGBT practitioners, practitioners with disabilities, practitioners aged 55 and older, and international practitioners are imperative to understand why public relations continues to be a "lily-white" field of women. To this point, research needs to seriously engage in intersectional research that links diverse practitioners' experiences with negative outcomes (e.g., salary gaps, relegation to technical positions, etc.) and positive effects (e.g., role modeling, entrepreneurship, etc.) for the field and individual practitioners alike. Directions for future research and practical application include examining eurocentrism and systemic racism in the academic and professional fields, overcoming issues of conducting quantitative research as well as issues of valuing qualitative research, linking diversity initiatives to core public relations concerns like crises and corporate social responsibility, exploring other fields' responses to diversity issues, and obtaining external audits by advocacy groups.
Is public relations a real job? How female practitioners construct the profession
"This study examined how female practitioners’ discourses shape perceptions of public relations as an emerging field in Russia. Interviews with 25 practitioners from Moscow public relations agencies showed that a prism of a real job and a woman’s job can help explain how socio-economic, professional, and genderdefined contexts influence practitioners’ perceptions of public relations and provided evidence for understanding public relations as a socially constructed gendered profession. The study found that Russian women construct their professional identities in gendered ways that may limit their career opportunities."
1991
The public relations educators in the university departments that house public relations must be aware of key issues that have an impact on the quest for status and effectiveness. Failure to adhere to these concerns may turn out students who will be trapped and have a much lower level of job satisfaction. These concerts are as follows: (1) educators in disciplines offering public relations programs should be aware of what is happening in other departments offering similar programs; (2) the face of public relations is changing and academic programs and the public relations practitioner must respond to people instead of grinding out newsletters and news releases; (3) educators should stress job satisfaction and upward mobility on the job, teaching public relations students more than just technical skills but also communication and management skills; (4) public relations students should understand that making a profit is important but not at the expense of other values; (5) the gender issue is creating a new scenario in public relations-females are skilled and have resources which give another perspective to the "glass-ceiling" issue; and (6) to ignore the international and multicultural dimension of public relations may be a major weakness in public relations-more attention to this issue may give public relations students the advantage in competing for top CEO positions. (Contains 32 references.) (TB)
Where are the women? An examination of research on women and leadership in public relations
Public Relations Review, 2018
Despite evidence that there are no significant differences in leadership ability among women and men in public relations, women are still largely absent from leadership and senior management positions. Furthermore, very few studies about leadership in public relations have considered the affect gender has on leadership enactment and success. Therefore, this secondary analysis examined the state of women and gender scholarship about leadership in public relations as part of a larger study about the state of women in the communication discipline. Specifically, our research found that the majority of the research about leadership and gender highlights women's lackluster leadership presence, factors contributing to women's lack of presence, leadership styles and preferences, and leadership and management roles of women. This manuscript provides recommendations for improving women's presence in leadership roles, particularly in providing a roadmap for future research opportunities. These include considerations for methodological approaches, leadership approaches and roles research, types of leadership, cultural change, and education.