In light of the whole gender-role gap that has been
frequently mentioned on the blog, we at The PR Women thought it would be
interesting to get a male perspective of the debate. We had the pleasure of interviewing Douglas
Brown, who is the head of his own PR consultancy firm and got his opinion on
the whole debate and women in PR in general.
Check out the interview below.
1. Do you consider there to be a
debate whether there are enough women in senior positions? What are your
thoughts and opinions on this issue?
There is clearly an issue with women being able to reach the
most senior positions. PR has far more men in the top positions than it should,
and understanding why women fall out of the profession, or never reach the top
jobs if they stay in it is essential if the profession is to reflect society.
2. As a man how do you think
women are portrayed in the PR industry?
There is perhaps a stereotype of the "dizzy
blonde" which is very unfair and whilst I loved Ab Fab I think it did
women in PR no services in terms of image. Perhaps the industry should promote
some more realistic female brand ambassadors?
3. Have you ever been a part of
a company managed by a woman? What was
this experience like?
The best manager I have ever had was a woman. I would have
followed her to hell and back. She was a fantastic, inspirational leader with a
clear vision as to where she wanted the business to go and a steely
determination to make it happen.
4. As the head of your own
company what advice would you give women in particular about the industry and
being at the top?
Don't get overly worried by the gender gap - there are some
great jobs out there and many many businesses where gender doesn't matter.
Anyone who works hard and spots the right opportunities will get on.
What’s your opinion? Is having a male perspective helpful?
By Nadine Phillips
Interesting interview. I think women are victimised in many higher paid positions because of them leaving to have family's etc. However, as Morris and Goldsworthy stated PR was a less successful and less valued industry when it comprised of more men, so why are they still domineering the senior roles?
ReplyDeleteHello, thanks for your comment.
DeleteWe try to look at many different perspectives so glad you found the interview interesting.
You make a very valid point and I think a lot of issues to do with the family and being at home is the main reason as to why men are domineering the senior roles. As women we are the care givers at home and many see it as the woman's responsibility to look after the family life. Maybe if men were more encouraged to take on this role instead it may bring a change into how many women we see in senior roles.