A Student's View: Why is PR mostly female?

By Erica Wenham, Friday 19 April 2013.


In my personal experiences, from interviews, to work placements and internships, to special guest speakers and seminars/workshops at university, the PR industry is shown to be predominantly female. Is it a coincidence? Or does the female gender really dominate the business sector? The “Women in PR” blog investigates why...

The extract below has been taken for reference from http://womeninpr.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/why-women-dominate-pr-profession/ (original source) and no copyright infringement(s) are intended.

“In an industry once dominated by men, women now outnumber their male colleagues and the trend shows no signs of abating. Have female professionals become a new PR super breed? Women have definitely made their mark in the PR business over the last 20 years, to the extent that there is now a major shortage of men coming into the profession, and that’s official.

According to latest membership figures released by the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), women now outnumber men by 60:40 – a massive swing since 1987, when figures highlighted the opposite at 20:80. Have women become a super breed in the world of PR, and why has it happened in this particular industry?

One of the reasons behind the success of women PR professionals is undoubtedly the flexibility of the profession, as it provides the opportunity for career-minded women to have it all in terms of high powered jobs, while still balancing family life – at least to some degree.
PR is probably one of the most fragmented professions and comprises a mix of in-house, independent and consultancy-based practitioners.”

What’s your opinion on the PR/female debate? Do you think gender makes no difference or do you reckon one gender does a better job than the other? Let me know in the comments below!

“This is a man's world... But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl.” – James Brown.

“I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.” – Marilyn Monroe.

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