Who Runs the World? Girls.

Who Runs the World? Girls!

Everyone knows that girls go to college to get more knowledge and boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider, at least that’s what I learned when I was ten. Is it true though? Are girls better than boys, at least when it comes to PR? Over the years us women have made great strides to top men when it comes to our career and success. We have proven to be extremely exceptional in the area of PR. According to PR Daily, almost 80% of the public relations industry is comprised of women, yet men hold about four out of every five leadership positions. We might stop for a second and think why aren’t more women in these leadership positions? That’s a great question. If women rule PR why aren’t we being put higher up on the pedestal?

PR is missing out on a great untapped resource. Women. An Open Forum study comparing the growth of firms led by women and men revealed that women-owned companies have been more successful than male-owned companies. Women-owned companies have been growing a nearly double the rate in the last several years. A separate study showed that a company that had more women in a senior management position had higher returns on equities – by more than a third.

So why are women more effective leaders in the PR field and why have they not been first choice as leaders in their career?

1. Women are active listeners. We as women tend to be more empathetic than men. We know when it is time to listen and understand the needs of others because we can connect on a different level. We are able to assist clients with their needs and are sincere on our delivery, and are able to create a great relationship with their customers where they are satisfied and have a better potential of becoming long-term. About time that being sentimental and emotional paid off ladies.
2. Women are naturally more social beings. Studied show that women are more social then men, leading to higher rates of effective collaboration and creativity within a business. We are also social when it comes to technology. A recent study by Moosylvania shows that women are more likely to use smartphones and tablets than men to seek interaction. We are also more open and comfortable making new connections with acquaintances and strangers, which can be huge in driving new business to companies. Apparently being chatty Cathy’s are okay in PR. Well, no wonder why us women love it so much.
3. Women are plugged into current events. We women are more likely to stay up-to-date with current events and issues in the world. Men on the other hand, may have a better special capacity for mental rotation; women outperform men in spatial memory and executing multiple tasks at once (multitasking). This could include answering a phone, scrolling from a news feed, and reflecting on a problem or situation. Women are also more effective at strategizing a solution for a problem and a faster rate than men.
4. Women are more effective in a group setting. Us women aren’t afraid to speak up and state our opinion on a subject. We are comfortable speaking with others about issues and stress. We are able to connect well with others.
5. The big picture is more in-focus for women leaders. Men are usually the ones who think about money, power and larger gains, and women think about the bigger picture and become more risk averse, which means they are more conscious with business opportunities and money. For example, women might put money into a bank account with low, but guaranteed interest rate, rather than invest in a stock that may have high expected returns, but also involves a chance of losing value. Women are more likely to care about a good balance in their work lives over money, fostering an environment for overall success at a company.

Looks like us women are becoming the leading ladies, and soon who knows, we might just take over the Advertising, Marketing, and PR world. It could definitely happen, as far as I’m concerned we have a couple of great things going for us because we are: smart, beautiful, opinionated, and we don’t have cooties. So what do you think, are women the driving force behind PR?

Patricia Ferreira, Raven5 Ltd, Oakville, Ontario March 2014

 

 

 

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