Still a lily-white field of women: The state of workforce diversity in public relations practice and research

Abstract

The state of women’s research in public relations is strong. However, different women’s stories—as well as men’s stories who are not part of the standard White, heterosexual, American experience—are severely underrepresented in public relations practice and research. This review of research from the past 11 years shows that the practice has significant room to grow in terms of welcoming and providing a successful, equitable workplace environment to practitioners from marginalized groups. Specifically, research about the experiences of women of color, LGBT practitioners, practitioners with disabilities, practitioners aged 55 and older, and international practitioners are imperative to understand why public relations continues to be a “lily-white” field of women. To this point, research needs to seriously engage in intersectional research that links diverse practitioners’ experiences with negative outcomes (e.g., salary gaps, relegation to technical positions, etc.) and positive effects (e.g., role modeling, entrepreneurship, etc.) for the field and individual practitioners alike. Directions for future research and practical application include examining eurocentrism and systemic racism in the academic and professional fields, overcoming issues of conducting quantitative research as well as issues of valuing qualitative research, linking diversity initiatives to core public relations concerns like crises and corporate social responsibility, exploring other fields’ responses to diversity issues, and obtaining external audits by advocacy groups.