Equal rights is normally an issue at every workplace. The PR industry is no exception. Although, I feel that it may be slightly different in this profession. I may be wrong, but looking at the salary gaps for men and women in public relations, this calls for a bone of contention. Apart from salaries, battles in maternity leave and the infamous glass ceiling have been an issue for some time also. However, this may have changed in some companies, but still continues to be an issue for debate.
The other day I was talking to a friend about the rise of women in the PR industry. I asked him what he thinks about men and women in this profession, his answer was, generally, women tend to be better communicators and pursuasive as compared to men. It doesn't mean that men are not good at communication, don't get me wrong on this, but women seem to have better listening skills and are more sensitive in facilitating two-way communication.
For instance, women are seen to be good at consulting because they understand the value of relationships and emotions. Hey! hey! hey! Now, that’s not to suggest that men aren’t good at that -- Just that women tend to come by this more naturally, they are biologically hardwired to want to make connections with people and build relationships on trust and mutual respect, an important skill in consulting. Mmhhh...don't shoot me on this guys.
What expressions are used?
As Catherine Arrow points out in her article on PR Conversations "expressions such as ‘PR Poppet’, ‘Fluffy Bunnies’ and ‘PR Bunnies’ are rife, and these, along with other descriptors.., undermine and denigrate both the profession and women." This shift in balance towards women tends to lead to much stereotyping. In their study, Frohlich and Peters’ ("2007) in a journal of Public Relations Research, reveals the "evolution of a “PR bunny” stereotype that adds a negative touch to the female image as “natural born communicators.”
Another observation is that when some people think of women in PR they think of images of Lizzie Grubman or Samantha Jones in the Sex and the City. Stacy Nobles, management supervisor at Peppercom in New York, argues in her article on TV portrayals of women in PR are bad for our industry,published in PR Week (2005), that "to have her (Lizzie) as the face of PR is frustrating to those of us in the industry ... especially to the real "Power Girls." Mmhhh! What is your view?
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What about problem solving, assertiveness and leadership? Are these qualities you attribute to men? Maybe these stereotypes are why men get more managerial jobs?
ReplyDeleteSO maybe we'd all be better off if we stopped using stereotypes and concentrated on our individual strengths;)
I personally think the reason why some women enter in the field of public relations is because they seem the glamour, the lights and the action. They see Samantha Jones and want to emulate her lifestyle. Who wouldn't want to be popular and go to all the "It" events. I don't think it's a bad thing if young women need a push in the right direction for their careers and lives. Heck, they actually may find that behind the hardwork, they're great problem-solvers, are leaders and present an asseriveness required for public relations --- despite that men are often receiving the managerial roles due to how corporations tend to view women as "overly emotional" and "under-qualified."
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, I did not mean to stereotype in my post. This was just to mention a few things how women are viewed in this profession. Of course women are great leaders, and they too have managerial qualities. I think it's time we stopped thinking of women as softies, emotional or perhaps moms and not leaders. I must say we are slowly seeing women rise up in PR and it's tremendous progress...
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