The past 20 years have seen an influx of women into the practice of public relations, yet gender-based disparities in pay and advancement remain a troubling reality. As the field becomes feminized, moreover, female and male practitioners alike confront the prospect of dwindling salaries and prestige. This landmark book presents a comprehensive examination of the status of women in public relations and proposes concrete ways to achieve greater parity in education and practice. The authors integrate the theoretical literature of public relations and gender with results of a major longitudinal study of women in the field, along with illuminating focus group and interview data. Topics covered include factors contributing to sex discrimination; how public relations stacks up against other professions on gender-related issues; the challenges facing female managers and entrepreneurs; the experiences of ethnic minority professionals; the salary gap; the glass ceiling; and how to foster solutions on individual, organizational, and societal levels. This volume is an essential read for both educators and practitioners in public relations. It can be used as a course text in graduate research seminars, and also as a supplemental text in courses addressing gender issues in PR. It serves as a useful guide for young practitioners entering the profession, and provides critical insights for public relations managers.

Essay from the year 2010 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, grade: 1,0, University of Westminster, language: English, abstract: Back in the 1960s, women formed only 10 per cent of the American PR field. Only 20 years later, in the mid-80s, this percentage had increased to 50 per cent. This phenomenon, called the “Gender Switch”, initialized the quantitative feminization of public relations (Dozier, 1988, p.8). In 1986 Mathews wrote: “A women`s place is no longer in the home. It seems to be in the communication department.” (Matthews, 1986, p.28). At the end of the 1990s, according to the US Department of Labor, two thirds of PR specialists were women (Grunig, Toth & Hon, 2001, p.5).

Although there is a small body of feminist scholarship that problematizes gender in public relations, gender is a relatively undefined area of thinking in the field and there have been few serious studies of the socially constructed roles defining women and men in public relations. This book is positioned within the critical public relations stream. Through the prism of ‘gender and public relations’, it examines not only the manipulatory, but also the emancipatory, subversive and transformatory potential of public relations for the construction of meaning. Its focus is on the dynamic interrelationships arising from public relations activities in society and the gendered, lived experiences of people working in the occupation of public relations. There are many previously unexplored areas within and through public relations which the book examines. These include: the production of social meaning and power relations advocacy and activist campaigns for social and political change the negotiation of identity, diversity and cultural practice celebrity, bodies, fashion and harassment in the workplace notions of managing reputation and communicating policy. In extending the field of inquiry, this edited collection highlights how gender is accomplished and transformed, and, thus how power is exercised and inequality (re)produced or challenged in public relations. The book will expand thinking about power relations and privilege for both women and men and how these are affected by the interplay of social, cultural and institutional practices. Winner of the Outstanding Book PRide Award, awarded by the National Communication Association (NCA).

Aldoory and Toth present a socio-ecological model for understanding and building a feminist future public relations. This approach acknowledges previous gaps in scholarship and practice caused by ideological, societal, mediated, and organizational factors constructing norms and expectations for gender and race.

The last 20 years have seen an influx of women into the practice of public relations, yet gender-based disparities in pay and advancement remain a troubling reality. As the field becomes feminized, moreover, female and male practitioners alike confront the prospect of dwindling salaries and prestige. This landmark book presents a comprehensive examination of the status of women in public relations and proposes concrete ways to achieve greater parity in education and practice. The authors integrate the theoretical literature of public relations and gender with results of a major longitudinal study of women in the field, along with illuminating focus group and interview data. Topics covered include factors contributing to sex discrimination, how public relations stacks up against other professions on gender-related issues, challenges facing women managers and entrepreneurs, the experiences of ethnic minority professionals, the salary gap, the glass ceiling, and how to foster solutions on individual, organizational, and societal levels. This volume is an essential resource for public relations professionals, scholars, and educators. Students of public relations, mass communication, organizational sociology, management, and women's studies will find it an informative and accessible text.

Although there is a small body of feminist scholarship that problematizes gender in public relations, gender is a relatively undefined area of thinking in the field and there have been few serious studies of the socially constructed roles defining women and men in public relations. This book is positioned within the critical public relations stream. Through the prism of ‘gender and public relations’, it examines not only the manipulatory, but also the emancipatory, subversive and transformatory potential of public relations for the construction of meaning. Its focus is on the dynamic interrelationships arising from public relations activities in society and the gendered, lived experiences of people working in the occupation of public relations. There are many previously unexplored areas within and through public relations which the book examines. These include: the production of social meaning and power relations advocacy and activist campaigns for social and political change the negotiation of identity, diversity and cultural practice celebrity, bodies, fashion and harassment in the workplace notions of managing reputation and communicating policy. In extending the field of inquiry, this edited collection highlights how gender is accomplished and transformed, and, thus how power is exercised and inequality (re)produced or challenged in public relations. The book will expand thinking about power relations and privilege for both women and men and how these are affected by the interplay of social, cultural and institutional practices. Winner of the Outstanding Book PRide Award, awarded by the National Communication Association (NCA).

PR Women with Influence: Breaking Through the Ethical and Leadership Challengesmakes a unique and timely contribution by exploring how women in public relations navigate through attitudinal, structural and social barriers in advancing their leadership roles. The book is thoroughly grounded in rich empirical evidence gained through two phases of a funded research project conducted in the field. Phase I involves 51 in-depth interviews with current female leaders in public relations and Phase II captures women's perceptions on gender-related barriers in leadership advancement by recruiting a national panel of female public relations professionals. Results presented in this book provide a compelling, current picture of women and leadership in public relations. By emphasizing our discussion on key issues and barriers as related to women in PR and their leadership advancement, the authors call for real actions and change to develop a constructive ecosystem within the organization to embrace leadership for women in PR. Given its sharp topic focus, wealth of empirical data, and the relevance of the topic to today's public relations profession, this book is suitable for different audiences both nationally and globally. Such audiences include but are not limited to public relations scholars, educators and professionals, both leaders and emerging leaders, men and women, young professionals, women of color, and public relations majors. This book is appropriate for senior-level undergraduate and graduate courses in public relations and communication management to facilitate critical thinking, leadership development, and gender-related topic discussion.

The practice and study of public relations has grown significantly within Europe over the past decade, yet as a discipline, it remains a relatively unexplored field. This volume of papers brings together contributions from some of the leading international public relations academics and practitioners who provide valuable insights into the theories underpinning current public relations thinking and practice, and illustrate the diversity of perspectives that characterize this evolving area. Key issues discussed include:- * the contribution of public relations to strategic management in organizations * the feminization of public relations * the function of rhetorical study in our understanding of modern corporate dialogue * international perspectives of public relations. A valuable aid to both students and practitioners, this fascinating book challenges some of the traditional assumptions about public relations practice.

A controversial interpretation of women's dramatic inroads into several male occupations.

An illuminating investigation into a class of enterprising women aspiring to “make it” in the social media economy but often finding only unpaid work Profound transformations in our digital society have brought many enterprising women to social media platforms—from blogs to YouTube to Instagram—in hopes of channeling their talents into fulfilling careers. In this eye-opening book, Brooke Erin Duffy draws much-needed attention to the gap between the handful who find lucrative careers and the rest, whose “passion projects” amount to free work for corporate brands. Drawing on interviews and fieldwork, Duffy offers fascinating insights into the work and lives of fashion bloggers, beauty vloggers, and designers. She connects the activities of these women to larger shifts in unpaid and gendered labor, offering a lens through which to understand, anticipate, and critique broader transformations in the creative economy. At a moment when social media offer the rousing assurance that anyone can “make it”—and stand out among freelancers, temps, and gig workers—Duffy asks us all to consider the stakes of not getting paid to do what you love.