1. INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS Gender Issues in International PR

2. PR340 | WK12 What is your take on feminism? Good, bad or ugly?

3. PR340 | WK12 Gender and business http://www.watoday.com.au/business/empl oyers-brace-for-wave-of-copycat-sex- claims-20101018-16qt0.htmlhttp://www.watoday.com.au/business/empl oyers-brace-for-wave-of-copycat-sex- claims-20101018-16qt0.html

4. PR340 | WK12

6. PR340 | WK Australia – getting more feminine?

7. PR340 | WK Hofstede and feminine values

8. PR340 | WK12 Gender issues…in particular, how are women treated? Gender issues exist in all facets of business, not just PR, in all countries. However, they vary between countries and cultures. Although you might not necessarily agree with the customs, it is vital to have an understanding of gender issues when dealing with other nations. Foreign investment means interaction between cultures and therefore a greater understanding of how PR is conducted is called for.

9. PR340 | WK12 Women in PR cont…. Factors that can affect women: –Class –Colour –Religion –Cultural beliefs eg single V married All of these can affect access to education/career opportunities

10. PR340 | WK12 PR and gender in different regions What does “PR” mean in China, India, Australia, US? Senior strategic counsellor versus attractive “hostess”.

11. PR340 | WK12 Women in PR…cont Difference in salaries…Turk (1986) discovered that “being male can add a difference of at least 12% to a salary”. Over a 40 year career this can equate to more than $1 million !!!! Do you think this has changed 25 years later?

12. PR340 | WK12 Sex discrimination: unlawful in Oz http://www.hreoc.gov.au/info_for_employer s/law/index.html#sexhttp://www.hreoc.gov.au/info_for_employer s/law/index.html#sex

13. PR340 | WK12 Defining feminist thought “Feminism/feminist” has such negative connotations and is usually used in a negative context. Feminism - advocacy of equal rights and opportunities for women. (Macquarie Dictionary). Difficult to compress feminist thought into one neat package (this idea in itself goes against feminism which recognises the myriad of experiences around the world).

14. PR340 | WK12 Defining feminist thought cont…. However, there are 3 main streams of feminism: Liberal: sexism comes from socialisation and discrimination. Ie, women’s inequality is a result of the deprivation of equal rights. Focus is on equalising access to employment, education etc. Problem: the burden to change is placed on women and fails to recognise that society must also change. Socialist/Marxist: class oppression based on our capitalist society has resulted in women being disadvantaged. With ownership and power in the hands of a few (mainly men), then women will not be liberated.

15. PR340 | WK12 Defining feminist thought…cont Radical: believe that the amount of male- dominated institutions forms a ‘patriarchal system of oppression’. Some also believe it stems from biology in that sexual relations between men and women is the central cause of women’s oppression.

16. PR340 | WK12 Feminist theory states that patriarchy shapes the social constructions and women’s experiential knowledge best helps us to envision a future non-sexist society.

17. PR340 | WK12 Major Assumptions All variants share three major assumptions: –1) gender is a social construction that oppresses women more than men, –2) nurture, or environment is more powerful than nature, or physiological 'hard-wiring', and –3) economic power, not socio-biology controls gender

18. PR340 | WK12 The three main areas of focus Women’s experience of: –sexuality, –work, –family The main reoccurring themes –Reproduction –Representation –Sexual division of labour

19. PR340 | WK12 Invisible Feminism? Today –Feminism and many of its hard-won benefits are now part of the social and economic landscape. –As Amy Richards, co-founder of The Third Wave Foundation, said: “Feminism today is like fluoride, we scarcely notice that we have it – it’s in the water” (Granddaughters, 2001).

20. PR340 | WK12 Backlash & Criticism –Backlash Downfall of the family and ultimately, society Men-haters No longer needed/Obsolete –Criticism 1980s – black women criticised the 3 forms (liberal, Marxists, Capitalist), as “white women’s mental map”.

21. PR340 | WK12 Paid leave in place

22. PR340 | WK12 Maternity leave worldwide

23. PR340 | WK12 Maternity leave globally http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/05/22/m aternity-leaves-around-the- world_n_1536120.htmlhttp://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/05/22/m aternity-leaves-around-the- world_n_1536120.html

24. PR340 | WK12 Defining feminist thought…cont In a lot of cases discussion of gender in PR has failed to recognise that if feminisation brings deflating salaries and status, the real problem lies in the value society places on the role of women and the feminine, not in the women themselves. (Hon, Grunig & Dozier)

25. PR340 | WK12 The Velvet Ghetto PR is perceived as a ‘velvet ghetto’ - describes the hiring of women primarily to fulfil affirmative action/equal opportunity requirements. What are the problems with this? Velvet Ghetto study (1986) showed that women are more likely to perceive themselves as technicians than managers. Has been suggested that due to subtle socialisation process (which varies between cultures but does exist) operates on women and causes them to self-select the technician role.

26. PR340 | WK12 Beyond the Velvet Ghetto Follow up study in 1989 found that the differences are usually a result of socialisation than overt discrimination. This can be harder to change. Despite women dominating the industry, men dominated in terms of status, position level and salary. There is now another concern - lack of men in the profession!!! This may lead to business world (and rest) devaluing PR as a profession. Is it already happening?

27. PR340 | WK12 Breaking the Glass Ceiling – Refers to female practitioners being able to secure managerial PR roles by gathering the necessary information to forge ahead. – The actual image of PR as a profession can affect women being able to break the standard ‘mould’ for women in this industry. What is the image??? Maybe the problem extends to the overall image of PR???? – Knowledge = power – The ‘boy’s club’ does exist! Golf days, after-work drinks sessions etc can prevent women from networking opportunities particularly in those societies where it is ‘unacceptable’ for women to drink or be out alone.

28. PR340 | WK Babes in arms – but not in parliament?

29. PR340 | WK12 Faulty solutions Problems women face in lack of advancement opportunities has led some scholars and practitioners to provide remedies, however many of these are faulty (particularly as they suggest that women are deficient in something) 1.Women assume masculine characteristics eg. ? What are the problems? 2.Psychological and personal cost for women who do adopt these changes is too high. Eg? 3.Does not address societies devaluation of women and women’s work. What can be done?

30. PR340 | WK Then and now in Australia?

31. PR340 | WK12 The Excellence Study Hon, Grunig & Dozier…. “Our theory of excellence in communication management has shown logically that the senior PR person must be a strategic manager, have power in the organisation, and have a symmetrical worldview for public relations to make organisations more effective. What would happen to this logic, however, if the majority of public relations practitioners who are most qualified…are systematically excluded from that role?”

32. PR340 | WK12 The Excellence Study cont... Support for women (and minorities) make up one of the 12 characteristics of excellent organisations ie. Excellent orgs recognise the value of diversity by employing female and minority workers and taking steps to foster their careers. (As women should we be offended that we are grouped with minority groups to begin with???) White men make up one small part of the overall population.

33. PR340 | WK12 The Excellence Study cont... Final of Hofstede’s cultural dimension study of excellent PR…masculinity/femininity. This is the value society attaches to social roles based on gender eg. Japan (a highly masculine society scored 95/100 while USA was 62/100). Hon, Grunig & Dozier believe that excellent organisations will have an equitable number of female practitioners in management roles and promote female technicians rather than hiring men with little or no public relations experience to manage the function.

34. PR340 | WK12 Further reading on the excellence study... Grunig, J.E., Dozier, D.E., Ehling, W.P., Grunig, L. A., Repper, F.C. & White, J. 1992, Excellence In Public Relations and Communication Management, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, New Jersey