Public relations is a growing field that has become increasingly popular with the use of social media. More and more jobs are required to satisfy the significant need for public relations, however, people often misunderstand what public relations actually is. Public relations is essentially about building relationships and maintaining credibility between an organization or a person and an interested public. It is accomplished through different forms of communication. The definition of public relations is important to know in order to understand why women have been dominating the field of public relations and the societal impact of gender roles. 

The percentage of women in public relations jobs is about 63%, however, some say the number falls closer to 73%. These percentages can also rise in the next few years because of college students engaging in majors that will most likely lead to a public relations job. This also means that more women are planning to work in public relations, when in the past, women would switch into public relations after working in a similar environment. Why are these numbers so high and still on the incline? 

Growing up, young girls are usually encouraged to be friendly and likable. They are told to smile and present themselves in the best way possible. Image is everything. Many girls have mastered these characteristics before they reach womanhood, and it becomes a part of who they are. Public relations is instinctually the best fit for them when it comes time for them to choose a career because they have always been social and collaborative. There are actually no proven studies that show women are naturally this way, but there is certainly a societal pressure to act like it. However, there is a study that proves that women do not think about earnings as much as men do, which is also why they will choose liberal arts over math and science. 

Absolutely nothing is wrong with this, but it should make people wonder how we can change to let younger generations let go of societal restrictions and traditions to figure themselves out. A good way to start would be to encourage them to be open-minded and try as many new things as possible. Your image should naturally be yours and not what you’ve created for others. 

“Public relations is the distinctive management function which helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance, and cooperation between an organization and its publics” -Rex F. Harlow. This quote is a well known definition of PR, despite the fact that there can be many different definitions of it. 

Source: 

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/08/why-are-there-so-many-women-in-pr/375 693/