Gender inequalities in the career paths of women public relations professionals

Abstract

This article reflects on the gender inequality still present in Brazilian organizations and highlight the participation of women in Public Relations. The experiences of female PR professionals are very similar in different parts of the world, despite the fact that they work in countries with different political, social and economic characteristics. It is possible that this is due to the presence of patriarchy in Western culture, which reorganizes the superiority and inferiority of social relations for each sex. As a result, the domination of women is manifested through social institutions, discourse, knowledge creation and discipline (Foucault, 1982). The theoretical framework brings the critical perspective of Public Relations (L’Etang, 2009; Holtzhausen, 2012; Yeomans, 2020; Topić, M, 2020; Adi & Ayme-Yahil, 2020); Aktaş, M, 2020) the intersectional approach (Brah, 2006; González, 2019) and decolonial feminism (Carneiro, 2019; Lugones, 2020; Curiel, 2020). The results of the study revealed that in Brazil, gender is articulated differently with class and race markers (Brah, 2006) mainly due to “Brazilian-style” racism (Gonzalez, 2019). It is possible to allude that there is a very sophisticated racial democracy in the country that keeps blacks and indigenous people in the most exploited class, as revealed by the social indicators published by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2024). This social reality is reflected in participant accounts, with different social markers that interrelate and generate specific conditions for access to education and work. The fact that Erin and Pina are black and brown and from lower social classes, resulted in the fact that access to education was more difficult, since both had to work after finishing high school in order to pay for their university studies. The economic condition of Maria and Vitória's families was reflected in the acquisition of cultural capital (Bourdieu, 2015). This is highly valued trait in the Brazilian job market and is reflected mainly through the extent that the person has (for example) a command of a second language and knowledge of other cultures. Using a qualitative approach, the study drew on the accounts of four professional women with different social markers. The corresponding life stories were categorized and analyzed using the biographical-narrative methodology with a comprehensive interpretation. According to Bertaux (1999), this is a methodology and not simply a tool or technique that allows us “to get to know” the social through the individual. This is why the life stories are based on the experience of the individual, who does not have to be a particular or special person, but simply a person from the community being studied. Key results enabled us to observe that intersectional power relations had an impact on the trajectories of the four women who took part in the research study, since they were forced to develop different strategies to survive in a work environment marked by sexism and racism. Practices in organizations reproduce the racist patriarchal system (Gonzalez, 1988) that excludes women from decision-making spaces. In order to reach management positions, women are often forced to choose between starting a family or giving up this option in order to occupy a senior management position. This is due to the fact that gender stereotypes influence the construction of the image of women as incapable of taking on leadership responsibilities and maintaining a family. The difficulty in reconciling family and professional life persists due to the social belief that home care activities are exclusively for women, leaving women overburdened and having to cope alone with the obligations of both home and work. As Grunig, Toth and Hon (2001) point out, in order to overcome gender bias in society, it is necessary to raise the awareness of sexism, make room for women in private organizations, government or the third sector senior positions, promote legislation that supports working parents, combat sexual harassment and break down gender stereotypes. The findings of the study reveal that Public Relations professionals face prejudice and discrimination in organizations simply because they are women, regardless of their level of academic training or experience. This context, compared to their male colleagues. makes it difficult for women to achieve a balance between family and professional life and to occupy management positions.