"Women in Business"
September 13, 2002
PR's pink collar starts to fade
A traditionally female-dominated profession mounts some resistance to a rising influx of men
Jeanine Herbst, Contributing Writer
How "pink collar" is the public-relations business? Depends on whom you ask, but most female practitioners will tell you there are a lot of women in the business. Many women say it's a very pink-collar world at the bottom rung of the public-relations hierarchy, with men coming from other fields to take over the coveted top spots."Overwhelmingly Female"
This jibes with the experience of Susan Matthews, owner of News Generations (www.newsgenerations.com), a public-relations firm that markets radio interviews to broadcast stations."I think it's overwhelmingly female," Matthews says. "It seems there are a lot of women in the entry-level fields, where there are very few men. But at the top? That's where the men are." Matthews says it's not for lack of trying to balance her staff, that of her 15 employees, only three are men.
With average salaries of public relations professionals in the mid-60's for marketing and corporate communications, according to Echo Research's salary survey (www.echoresearch.som), it would seem to be a good field to dominate.
Men Make Inroads
But Kate Perrin, owner of PRofessional Solutions, (www.PRstaffing.com) a public-relations temp agency, says the mix of PR professionals coming to her for work is about 60 percent female. "I think it's because of all the new technology that's entered the field now, that tends to draw men in," she says. Perrin says it's a benefit to have a diverse work force, not only to serve the clients better, but also "when men enter a field, in general, salaries tend to go up."
Matthews says the salary surveys she's seen back that up. "They show that although the field is overwhelmingly women, men still get paid more."
Still, as far as Perrin can tell, the field is predominantly female, and as a past president of Washington Women in Public Relations, (www.wwpr.org) a local association, she says women need the networking a focused group provides. "We actually started because most of us belonged to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), but they weren't offering special programs for all the women in the field. So we started out in 1981 offering networking tips, and programs geared toward women."
Is Separate Equal?
But if the field is mostly female, and all agree the influx of men is a good thing, why a separate industry group?
"Women network differently than men do. We work differently, and programs addressing the topics we are concerned with is very important," Perrin says.
"I think it's a good thing that women make up the majority of the field," Matthews says. "We are detail-oriented and good communicators. But we need our own groups and associations," she says. Matthews is also an active member of WWPR.
When she delegates to a woman, she doesn't have to micromanage the project. "It's a personality type. Women tend to take ownership of things and they tend to make sure things are taken care of."
Sense of Community
Hillarie Fogel, current president of WWPR, says it's true, but women's groups offer something more than programs that enhance a woman's career. "There's a sense of community when we network," Fogel says. "We're more involved with each other's lives to a certain extent."
Fogel says the group provides a good incubator for those wanting to strike out on their own. She estimates around 30 percent of members own their own firms. "A lot of our members start out working for someone else, then start networking among the group to find ways to start their own firm," Fogel says.
Perrin agrees. "Small groups, flexible programs and people who really care about helping you are the key to success," she says.
She would know. Perrin was a corporate PR professional, but decided to branch out on her own after hearing a radio commercial in her car she says. "It was for Accountemps. And I thought 'I can do that with PR!'"
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