White, young, female - perfect for the job

"All people are equal, but some are more equal than others" (based on George Orwell's 'Animal Farm' - "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal then others")

Sexism, ageism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia. They are realities of the societies we live in; they are realities that we face on the playground as kids, in school as teenagers, and at the workplace as adults.

As human begins we tend to be scared of things and people that are different from us and react to that fear accordingly: by discriminating. Diversity is all about learning to identify, recognize, accept and value these differences - they are what make us what we are, what makes us uniquely special, valuable and exceptional.

Margaret Anderson and Patricia Collins offer a definition of diversity that sums up the main notions that other authors have tackled in regard to the subject: “Diversity is about an awareness of and sensitivity to the intersections of race, class and gender, about seeing linkages to other categories of analysis, including sexuality, age, religion, physical disability, national identity and ethnicity, and about appreciating the disparities of power that produce social inequities (2006, p. 1).

Accepting differences, leaving prejudices and intolerance aside, is a hard step to take for many; but getting to value and celebrate these differences is what truly matters and where the real challenge appears.

If there is a field out there that would mostly benefit from embracing differences - building a team around a group of religion, age, gender and ethnically diverse people - that is the communication industry. What profession, other than being a communicator, would benefit more from being able to send out a large array of culturally and ethnically loaded messages? And what other profession than public relations would benefit more from understanding the population dynamics of race and ethnicity? There isn't a bigger influence on building successful relationships with constituent groups than diversity.

Having an age, gender and ethnically diverse team would benefit a PR company in more than one way: it would attract a larger palette of clients, it would help deliver more complex and target-specific strategies, and it would promote and demonstrate a deeper understanding of the public and audiences.

There is nothing less constructive than stereotyping people according to race, gender, religion etc; these oversimplified human perceptions oppress individuals and groups, as they are reduced by inaccurate judgments. Judging people according to stereotypes means that they carry a mark, which makes them unable to show off their true, unique, individual capabilities and their creative personalities get lost on the way.  (For a bit of comic relief here's a video that perfectly plays on the stereotypes of men vs women.)

International public relations practitioners face even greater diversity, operating “across time zones, within different political, economic, and social systems and with varying media constraints” (Wakefield, 2008, p. 141). Global PR professional seek relationships with multinational populations that differ in race, national income, literacy, religion, culture, technology, governance, and language. According to GeoHive, over 60 % of the world population is Asian, 14 % is African, approximately 11% lives in Europe and only about 5 percent lives in North America. According to adherents.com 33% of the world populations is Christian, 21% Islamic, 14% Hindu, 6% Buddhist, 6% Chinese-traditional, 6% primal-indigenous, 2% other and 16% non-religious.

The traits and attributes that make a PR professional the best in his or her field are flexibility, respect, empathy, having a strong cultural and ethnical self-awareness, mastering conflict resolution, cross-cultural communication and language development skills. And these attributes are best perfected by knowing how to value and embrace differences, while working in diverse environments.

None of these facts represent a novelty; people in the industry are aware of their bearing and significance. And still PR is dominated by white, middle-class females and run by white middle class men. How can PR pros provide the requisite variety to organizations to help them reach their audiences and objectives, if they are themselves insufficiently diverse?

PR is an overwhelmingly 'white' profession that offers few, if any, high-profile role models from minority groups. This low visibility of these groups is a big problem for the industry and can become a true cornerstone for the future of public relations. Which means that a vital priority for the profession right now is breaking down entry barriers for all minorities and encouraging diversity, from an ethical, legal, business-oriented, HR and technical perspective.

A lot of attention has been given to the issue of diversity by the CIPR, who has a special website dedicated to it. Visitors can go there to find out more about what is being done in this matter, to see the diversity policy, download case studies or read testimonials of people from all background who are making a name for themselves in PR.

References:

• Margaret Anderson, Patricia Collins’s, Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology, Wadsworth Publishing, 2006
• Robert I. Wakefield, Theory of International Public Relations, the Internet, and Activism: A Personal Reflection, in Journal of Public Relations Research, Volume 20, Issue 1, January 2008, pp. 138 - 157
• http://www.cipr.co.uk/diversity/index.htm, accesed March 4, 2010

Will PR break down the glass ceiling?

"Because PR is mostly female, the negative impacts associated with being female also impact negatively on PR” - Larissa Grunig

It is safe to say that over the last decade women have entered PR at a much faster rate than men. Several scholars have published articles on the feminist theory in public relations and gender segregation in the field. According to a 2005 research by the Centre for Economic and Business Research, two thirds of PR practitioners are women. The statistics and figures are all there so, at a first glance, we would be inclined to say that PR is a profession done and managed by women in the grand majority. And the assumption would prove to be correct...up until the management part.

Taking a closer look at the numbers, we actually see that entry and middle level positions are indeed dominated by women, while managerial positions, fewer in number but much more likely to stand out in the public sphere, are dominated by men. For example, if we look at lists of people in key management positions from big international PR agencies - like Hill & Knowlton, Bell Pottinger Group or Weber Shandwick - we notice that around three quarters of those mentioned are men.

 The so called fathers of PR are supposed to be Edward Bernays and Ivy Lee. Who is the mother of PR then? Pop culture would have us believe that it's Samantha Jones, with the skimpy skirts, see-through blouses, luxurious parties and outrageous lifestyle. Whereas the true PR professionals are represented by the men like Alastair Campbell, in their Armani suits and high end public positions.

The cynical and common view on the issue of women in PR is that they are more complacent with what they have, that they show no ambitions to climb the corporate ladder, don't have the motivation or skills to achieve higher goals or that once they reach their 30s they are eager to give it all up so they can stay home, have babies and cater to their families' needs. The sad part is that a lot of times these assumptions and perspectives comes from and are promoted by women themselves. And, of course, there is the view that the ones that do go after PR careers are the Sam Jones equivalents, whose only real skills are organising parties and looking pretty while doing it.

PR isn't half as glamorous as the creators of Kim Cattrall's character would like us to think it is, but this doesn't necessarily mean that women shouldn't look fabulous while doing a great job. There is no reason why women in PR shouldn't be able to rock a pair of Jimmy Choos, accompanied by a Birkin Bag, while still being a respected practitioner.

What I find to be a more plausible explanation for the low number of women in CEO positions is that, generally, the representatives of this gender have been more willing to take the back seat and not as eager to be in the spotlight. Which is what PR is really all about: running things from behind the stage, while promoting front figures into the public eye. A lot of men let their egos get the best of them, making it more likely for them to want and need to be in the limelight. To get there they aim at being appointed in key managerial positions. But what actually happens is they stop being PR practitioners; they become managers, with manager like qualities, skills and responsibilities. While the real practice of PR is left up to the women in the industry.

However, what I think will happen is that the tables will start to turn: there has been a too big of an inflow of women into the industry over the past decade for the trends not to change. Moreover, more and more women are developing career focused ambitions, which is proven, for one, by the large number of (mostly female) candidates applying for MAs in PR in the last few years.

Women today are more than up for the challenge and they are already starting to break through in managerial positions, especially where it comes to the agency and corporate sector. In Romania, for example, PR is very young and feminine and most of the top PR agencies are run and staffed by women. This fact was also noticed by Richard Linning, IPRA president, in November 2009 when he awarded the Golden World Awards during the IPRA gala in Bucharest.

Women will lead the PR industry sooner than we might think. Sure, there is the Mommy track issue, but thanks to new technologies and innovations the incompatibility between a having family life and a CEO position is starting to slowly fade away. And, let's not forget, like my classmate Gaye said in class: kids grow up, they don't stay babies forever! Women are no longer avoiding the responsibilities that come with a managerial position; they are increasingly going after them. Moreover, the new generation of women in PR, as busy as they might be making their clients look good, they will take the time out to promote themselves and surely leave a notable mark onto the industry in years to come.