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On “Women in public relations”
Public Relations
Eetter
Review
to the Editor On "Women in Public Relations"
Dear Editor: I am moved to write to you on receiving a copy of the Fall 1988 issue of the "Review". I was particularly interested in the article b y Debra Miller on women in graduate study. I have recently been appointed Honorary Professor of Public Relations at the University of Stifling in Scotland where I managed to get a one year full time masters (MSc) degree programme initiated in September 1988. We have 27 students enrolled and only 12 are women. The students come from USA, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, Malaysia and Hong Kong but more than half are British. The suggestion of a "Glass Ceiling" restricting women in public relations is surely an out of date concept. In Britain it has not been true in academia for decades and in public relations consultancy in Britain we see an ever increasing rise of women to the top ranks of management. It is true that women have to work very hard to succeed in our profession but there are no artificial barriers to SucCeSS.
In the USA, too, I have noted an increasing tendency for women to be leaders in public relations consultancy and several women have been presidents of the PRSA recently as they have in Britain and other countries as presidents of their national public relations associations, eg CERP, India and Australia. I truly believed that in the learned professions, in which I include public relations, rampant feminism was in full retreat and I was sorry to receive such a biased set of papers on this subject. I believe, that in the professions, men and women are equal and I hope the USA will catch up with Britain in this regard. Professor Sam Black Past President International Public Relations Association
On "Not-For-Profits" Dear Editor: Just a note to comment on the article "Not-For-Profits Appear To Lack P.R. Sophistication," in your Winter, 1988 issue. If one assumes that organizations are either for-profit or not-for-profit, is it surprising that a survey in one community of organizations of either type would show them to be unsophisticated in virtually any business specialty? What would the results show if 105 small for-profit firms (gas stations, comer stores, dry 102
Eetter
Review
to the Editor On "Women in Public Relations"
Dear Editor: I am moved to write to you on receiving a copy of the Fall 1988 issue of the "Review". I was particularly interested in the article b y Debra Miller on women in graduate study. I have recently been appointed Honorary Professor of Public Relations at the University of Stifling in Scotland where I managed to get a one year full time masters (MSc) degree programme initiated in September 1988. We have 27 students enrolled and only 12 are women. The students come from USA, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Germany, Malaysia and Hong Kong but more than half are British. The suggestion of a "Glass Ceiling" restricting women in public relations is surely an out of date concept. In Britain it has not been true in academia for decades and in public relations consultancy in Britain we see an ever increasing rise of women to the top ranks of management. It is true that women have to work very hard to succeed in our profession but there are no artificial barriers to SucCeSS.
In the USA, too, I have noted an increasing tendency for women to be leaders in public relations consultancy and several women have been presidents of the PRSA recently as they have in Britain and other countries as presidents of their national public relations associations, eg CERP, India and Australia. I truly believed that in the learned professions, in which I include public relations, rampant feminism was in full retreat and I was sorry to receive such a biased set of papers on this subject. I believe, that in the professions, men and women are equal and I hope the USA will catch up with Britain in this regard. Professor Sam Black Past President International Public Relations Association
On "Not-For-Profits" Dear Editor: Just a note to comment on the article "Not-For-Profits Appear To Lack P.R. Sophistication," in your Winter, 1988 issue. If one assumes that organizations are either for-profit or not-for-profit, is it surprising that a survey in one community of organizations of either type would show them to be unsophisticated in virtually any business specialty? What would the results show if 105 small for-profit firms (gas stations, comer stores, dry 102