Rediscovering Women in Public Relations

Abstract

Historical studies of women in public relations and their contributions to the field have been rare. Yet, an understanding of women's contributions is important, especially in light of their growing dominance in the profession This article begins the process of rediscovering women in public relations by examining the Public Relations Journal for the presence of women from 1945, when the journal began, through 1972, when the Public Relations Society of America elected its first female chair. The author argues that women were initially accepted into the profession because public relations was a new field with few barriers to entry. As the profession matured, it became more male dominated despite a growing number of women.