👠 Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women's Work, Real Value

Hey PR fam!

As we enter Women's History Month, let's talk about PR's not-so-little perception problem. Our industry, predominantly populated by women (72% according to recent studies), continues to battle the stigma of being "soft" work—nice but not necessary, creative but not critical.

Despite requiring exceptional strategic thinking, crisis management skills, and business acumen, PR is often devalued in the marketplace. The irony? While women make up the majority of PR practitioners, men still disproportionately lead the top agencies and command higher salaries for the same work.

This week, we're exploring this paradox and sharing creative approaches to measuring and communicating PR's true business impact. Because our work isn't just valuable—it's essential.

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✨ AFFIRMATION OF THE WEEK:
I confidently articulate the strategic value of my work, knowing that my expertise transforms business outcomes in measurable, meaningful ways.

💭 LESSON OF THE WEEK
The most powerful PR professionals don't just accept industry perceptions—they actively reshape them through the language, metrics, and frameworks they use to communicate value

💬 "Just PR": Unpacking the Perception Problem

"Oh, that's just PR."

We've all heard it. That subtle dismissal that reduces strategic communications to mere spin or fluff. But where does this perception come from, and why does it persist despite PR's demonstrable business impact?

Some of it is due to lack of awareness, but the unspoken part - a lot of it lies at the intersection of gender and value perception in professional settings.

The Historical Context

Public relations has long been perceived as “women’s work.” By the mid-20th century, women were entering PR in significant numbers, often directed there due to barriers in other corporate roles. This shift contributed to what scholars call the "velvet ghetto"—as women became the majority in PR, its status and compensation declined, mirroring trends seen in other female-dominated professions like teaching and nursing. (Enterie, Wikipedia)

While PR requires critical business skills—relationship management, emotional intelligence, strategic messaging—these competencies have historically been undervalued, particularly when predominantly associated with women.

The Expertise Disconnect

The reality? Today’s PR demands exceptional strategic thinking:

• Crisis management that can save millions in market value.

• Reputation building that directly impacts customer acquisition costs.

• Stakeholder communications that enable major business transformations.

• Media strategy that shapes industry narratives and competitive positioning.

Yet despite this sophisticated expertise, PR teams often face:

• Budget cuts when times get tough (unlike "revenue-generating" departments).

• Exclusion from strategic decision-making until after directions are set.

• Higher bars for proving value than marketing or sales teams.

• Expectations to deliver measurable results with minimal resources.

This marginalization stems from PR’s frequent classification as a "support function" rather than a strategic driver, a perception reinforced by its gendered history. (Emerald Publishing)

The "Support Function" Trap

Perhaps most frustrating is PR’s frequent categorization as a support function rather than a strategic driver. This framing not only diminishes PR’s role but reinforces the perception that work predominantly done by women exists primarily to support work predominantly done by men.

The result? A profession caught in a cycle where gender composition and value perception reinforce each other: PR is undervalued partly because it’s women-dominated, and it remains women-dominated partly because it’s undervalued.

The Seat at the Table

When PR does earn executive representation, those seats are disproportionately filled by men. Among Fortune 500 companies with a Chief Communications Officer or equivalent, men hold these positions at rates far exceeding their representation in the field.

This creates a troubling dynamic: the work itself is feminized (and therefore devalued), but leadership positions—where decisions about value, resources, and strategy happen—remain predominantly masculine.

📊 The Numbers Don't Lie: PR's Gender Leadership Gap

The statistics tell a story of an industry facing a profound contradiction – dominated by women yet led disproportionately by men.

Workforce Composition

• Women make up approximately 67% of PR professionals overall (Dods Diversity)

• In agency settings, the percentage climbs even higher, with some reports indicating 70-75% female representation

• This female majority has been consistent for decades, making PR one of the most gender-imbalanced professions in business

Leadership Imbalance

• Despite this overwhelming majority, women hold only 34% of top management positions in PR (PR Daily)

• Looking at some of the world's top PR firms, male CEOs still outnumber female CEOs

• Board representation at major agencies shows similar disparities

The Pay Penalty

• Women in PR earn an estimated $8,305 less annually than their male counterparts, amounting to a $332,200 loss over a 40-year career. This disparity remains even when controlling for experience, management role, career specialization, and decision-making participation (IPR Comprehensive Study on Gender Pay Disparity in PR)

• This gap widens at senior levels, with executive compensation showing even greater disparities

• The gap persists even when controlling for experience, education, and specialization

• Research suggests this reflects both direct compensation discrimination and structural barriers to advancement

The "Broken Rung" Problem 

The most significant barrier occurs not at the highest levels but at the first step up to management. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 86 women achieve the same advancement (McKinsey). This "broken rung" on the career ladder creates a narrowing pipeline that impacts every subsequent leadership level.

The Cost of Inequity 

These disparities don't just impact individual careers – they affect our entire industry:

• Reduced innovation due to homogeneous leadership perspectives

• Talent drain as women leave for more equitable industries or start their own firms

• Lower overall compensation across the field as "women's work" continues to be undervalued

• Diminished strategic influence as PR leaders lack proportional representation in C-suites

Understanding these realities isn't about placing blame – it's about acknowledging the structural challenges our industry faces. Only by recognizing these patterns can we begin to change them.

📊 Beyond Impressions: Creative Approaches to Demonstrating PR Impact

Let's be honest—impression counts, AVE, and clip reports aren't cutting it anymore (and if we’re being honest, maybe they never did). As PR professionals, we need more creative, compelling ways to demonstrate our true impact. Here are approaches that go beyond traditional metrics:

1. The Share of Voice Evolution

Traditional share of voice metrics simply measure how much you're being mentioned compared to competitors. The evolution? Track share of conversation in specific contexts that matter to your business:

• Thought Leadership: Measure your brand's presence in high-value industry conversations versus competitors

• Solution Association: Track how often your brand is mentioned as a solution to key customer problems

• Crisis Absence Value: Calculate the potential negative impact of crises that didn't happen due to proactive PR work

2. The Correlation Dashboard

Instead of claiming PR directly caused business results (which is hard to prove), show compelling correlations:

• Media Momentum: Plot media hits against website traffic, showing patterns

• Sentiment-to-Sales: Map sentiment improvements against sales in specific regions

• Journey Touchpoint Analysis: Show how PR touchpoints align with customer journey milestones

• SEO Impact Timeline: Demonstrate how earned media affects organic search positions

3. The Executive Value Translator

Different stakeholders care about different things. Create measurement frameworks tailored to each:

• For CFOs: Cost-per-acquisition comparisons between PR-driven leads and paid advertising

• For Sales Leaders: Extended sales cycle analysis for leads that engaged with PR content

• For CMOs: Content repurposing value—how PR assets are reused across marketing channels

• For CEOs: Competitive positioning shifts following PR campaigns

4. The Audience Journey Visualization

Instead of counting impressions, show how PR moves audiences through awareness to action:

• Awareness to Engagement Ratio: Track how many "aware" audiences take the next step

• Message Adoption Analysis: Measure when audiences begin using your key messages

• Narrative Evolution Maps: Visualize how your story has shifted industry conversations

• Community Growth Indicators: Document community building rather than just reach

5. The Business Integration Model

Demonstrate how PR integrates with and enhances other business functions:

• Sales Enablement: Document how PR content is used by sales teams and its impact

• Recruitment Support: Track how media coverage affects applicant quality and quantity

• Investment Influence: Correlate media strategy with investor interest

• Partnership Acceleration Data: Show how PR prepares the ground for partnerships

The bottom line? PR value isn't just about the media hits—it's about how those hits transform business outcomes. By getting creative with measurement approaches, we can finally communicate PR's true strategic value in ways that resonate with decision-makers.

📸 Event Recap: PR Night Out with Miss EmpowHER

Last week's collaboration with Miss EmpowHER was exactly the kind of genuine connection our industry needs more of! Over 50 PR professionals gathered for an evening of strategic networking, empowering conversations, and meaningful relationship building.

The energy in the room was electric as professionals from agencies, in-house teams, and solo practitioners exchanged insights, shared experiences, and formed connections that will last far beyond one evening.

[Check Out the Event Photos →]

A huge thank you to everyone who attended and made the evening such a success. Your passion, expertise, and willingness to support fellow PR pros is what makes these gatherings so valuable!

☕️ Join the Waitlist: April PR Parlor

Mark your calendars for our next PR Parlor gathering on April 2nd in NYC! Based on the overwhelming response to our previous sessions, we're expecting this intimate roundtable experience to fill up quickly.

What to expect:

• Limited to just 20 PR professionals for meaningful conversation

• Expert-led discussions on pressing industry challenges

• Peer-to-peer problem solving in a supportive environment

• Valuable connections with NYC's PR community

• Refreshments and a relaxed atmosphere for authentic networking

[Join the Waitlist →]

Can't make it to NYC? We're exploring opportunities to bring The PR Parlor to other cities in 2025. Let us know where you'd like to see us next!

📚 The Resource Vault

Your go-to collection of #PREssentials:

• ✨[NEW] PR Case Study Template

• 2025 Strategy Starter Pack

• The Essential PR Audit Framework

• PR Personal Brand Checklist

Pro Tip: Bookmark this section! We'll update it weekly with new resources and remind you of existing tools you might have missed.

💬 Send To The GroupChat (Do This!)

• Value Audit: Identify three ways your PR work has directly impacted business outcomes this quarter that aren't reflected in traditional metrics.

• Stakeholder Interview: Schedule 15-minute conversations with key stakeholders to understand what metrics actually matter to them.

• Measurement Evolution: Implement at least one creative measurement approach from our framework in your next campaign report.

• Talent Pipeline: Consider how you're supporting women's advancement within your organization or client base.

As we celebrate Women's History Month, let's do more than acknowledge the gender imbalance in PR leadership—let's actively work to change it. By measuring our impact more effectively, communicating our value more strategically, and supporting each other's advancement, we can build a more equitable future for our industry.

Kindly Circling Back Forever,
PR Girl Manifesto Team

P.S. Have a woman-founded PR agency you think we should feature? Respond to this e-email telling us about them – we'd love to spotlight more game-changing firms in upcoming editions this month!

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