The Struggle of Being a Woman in the PR World
- Nov 13, 2015
- 2 min read
One of my peers, Tara Coluccio, wrote about an article that was published by prweek.com called, “Why the PR industry needs to flex its muscles and support its women.” Tara brought up some valid points that I have always just pushed aside because at this point, they don’t apply to me.
The writer of “Why the PR industry needs to flex its muscles and support its women,” Nicky Imrie, interviewed “…hundreds of brilliant women” only to find a pattern. All of these women had the same issue; they could not have a good balance of home and work.
Of course, somewhere down the road, I want a family and I want to be as involved in my children’s lives as possible. I want to coach their soccer and softball teams, I want to watch them in their first school play, I want to be there to take care of them when they are home with the flu.
I don’t want to be that absent mother that has no idea what is going on in their lives. I also want to build a career and keep my career without having to sacrifice my want for a family. The sad truth is, the PR world doesn’t necessarily allow that.
Tara’s blog states the same concerns I have.
The PR industry is a time consuming one. We have to be available around the clock for our clients for a multitude of reasons. For example, the chances of having an international client are very high. That means there is going to be a time difference that you have to account for.
It is unrealistic for one person, male or female, to be readily available at any hour of the day but adding a family into it makes it even more unrealistic.
The PR world is a female dominated one and that means that when push comes to shove, we are more willing to give up our careers so we can raise a family.
But who can blame us?
There are options like job sharing that I believe need to be more accepted. I know some clients will hate the idea and refuse to work with two females but as long as they have someone they can call on when they need questions answered who cares if it’s the blonde or the brunette on the other end?
As long as someone can answer his or her question successfully, it shouldn’t matter. The client will also get the creativity of two brains, rather than just one.
As a female who is seven months away from entering this world, I am determined to work hard to build my career. But when my day comes and I am ready to start a family, I will make sure I don’t have to give up what will be the greatest aspect of my life – my kids.
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