Power lies mostly in male hands, while women hold the numerical advantage.

Power lies mostly in male hands, while women hold the numerical advantage.

In the communications profession, which encompasses press and media work, interest representation, and public affairs, women are making significant strides. The PR industry in Germany, for instance, is said to be feminized, with a high number of women compared to men, a trend that began in 2005 with the "gender switch." According to recent statistics, women occupy the majority of positions, including communications leadership, with 57% women and 43% men.

However, despite this numerical dominance, women's power in the industry is not as evident as one might expect. The author suggests that creating additional spaces where women consciously negotiate, promote, and mentor could potentially increase women's influence.

Political communication, on the other hand, is rarely considered a stronghold of female influence. Reliable numbers on the representation of women in political communication are hard to find, but statistics from the national legislative level offer some insights. About 32% of Members of Parliament (MPs) are women, indicating progress but still a minority presence in formal political leadership roles.

Persistent structural barriers, such as recruitment challenges and underrepresentation in senior political offices, continue to limit women's access to leadership in politics and public communication. These barriers extend to corporate leadership as well, with women holding just over one-third of senior management positions, less than a quarter of corporate board seats, and only about 10% of CEO positions in major companies.

Despite these challenges, the impact of female leadership in communication contexts has been shown to enhance positive organizational outcomes. For example, female leaders have been credited with improving teleworking business continuity and mitigating adverse employment impacts.

However, there is no explicit data on women's representation in leadership roles specifically within the political communication industry. The author questions whether organizational measures can work all the way to the top of the industry, especially where power isn't given up voluntarily.

Horizontal and vertical segmentation is observed in the PR industry, with women often working in less prestigious areas and holding lower positions. Additionally, women are not always taken seriously as they ascend in the industry, despite the persistent myth of women as "born communicators."

In the age cohort up to 39 years, there are almost three women for every man in the PR and communication profession. However, in corporate representations, the women's share is around 31 percent, while it's only about 12 percent for public affairs agencies. Notably, the proportion of women in PR and communication has remained constant for the first time in 19 years.

The author suggests that creating spaces where it's not just about solidarity but about influence could be a self-determined solution, without adopting a typically male approach. The author also questions the assumption that all problems can be solved overnight and emphasizes the need to sharpen our gaze: for what's there and for what it can become.

References:

[1] Grant, T., & Alvarez, M. E. (2021). Women in Corporate Leadership: Progress and Challenges. McKinsey & Company.

[2] Inter-Parliamentary Union. (2021). Women in National Parliaments.

[3] European Institute for Gender Equality. (2021). Gender Equality Index 2021.

1. The author proposes that establishing dedicated spaces for women in leadership roles, such as political communication, could potentially increase their influence and power, a strategy that seems to be effective in health-and-wellness industries, where female leaders have been credited with improving teleworking business continuity and mitigating adverse employment impacts.
2. While women occupy the majority of positions in the PR industry, including communications leadership, and hold over one-third of senior management positions in corporations, they are still underrepresented at the top levels, as seen in women's scarce presence on corporate boards and as CEOs.
3. The author emphasizes the importance of continued efforts to ensure gender equality in various industries, including politics, PR, and finance, noting that while women are making strides in these fields, more needs to be done to challenge persistent myths, such as the assumption that women are naturally skilled communicators, and to address structural barriers that limit women's access to leadership roles.

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