Women in Public Relations: How Gender Influences Practice

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.

Larissa A. Grunig, PhD, has been on the faculty of the University of Maryland, College Park, since 1978, where she is currently Associate Professor of Communication. Dr. Grunig was the 1989 recipient of the Pathfinder Award for excellence in research sponsored by the Institute for Public Relations. Cofounder and former coeditor of the Journal of Public Relations Research, she has more than 150 publications to her credit.

Elizabeth Lance Toth, PhD, is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Public Relations at the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University. Coauthor or coeditor of several books, Dr. Toth has published over 75 articles, book chapters, and papers. She received the 1998 Institute for Public Relations Pathfinder Award for her research on gender issues and public relations.

Linda Childers Hon, PhD, is Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator of Public Relations at the University of Florida, where she also holds a University of Florida Research Foundation Professorship. The author of a number of publications on public relations evaluation and gender and diversity issues in public relations, Dr. Hon is editor of the Journal of Public Relations Research.