People are less willing to enter buildings with tall walls, locked gates and moats filled with alligators than without. Sounds reasonable, right? Not a very outlandish logical connection to make.
Similarly, industries with high barriers to entry for specific people make those people hesitant to venture in. Men hesitate to head into the fashion industry in fear of being judged. Women hesitate to become video gamers in fear of being undermined.
Why is that, though? In male-dominated workplaces, the authority of a woman, or vice versa, is often undermined. People are judged by the little prejudices others foster, and not by the skills they possess. Imagine where they would be if instead of first fighting for their spot at the table and then actually pitching their idea, they could spend all their efforts on the idea itself.
Consider a scenario where one does not feel this barrier to entry. As specialists in PR, and our understandable bias towards it, let us consider the PR industry.
Globally, around 71% of the workforce are women. 71! Public Relations is all about shaping narratives and creating relations, and clearly, women are excelling at it. In such an industry, there is virtually no barrier to entry for other women to join it.
When no external forces are affecting the growth of employees, the industry climate is perfect for passionate workers to bloom in the right environment. We, at SPRD, interviewed our female employees to shed light at this not just from a face-less brand entity, but from the experiences of women themselves.
We asked Juveria Khan, PR & Communications Associate, what inspires her on her PR journey and endeavours?
“I have a natural affinity for communication. I enjoy crafting compelling stories and engaging with different audiences through various channels. My main motive to choose PR is to help make an impact, by helping organisations or individuals to achieve their goals.I aspire to shape public opinion while simultaneously taking on significant challenges.”
Juveria’s answer stated her affinity for communication, and, in a very matter of fact, decided to pursue it. There was no hesitation to consider any societal pressure she might face or any second thoughts about her career path. She wanted to pursue her passion and chose to do so. No two ways about it.
This is not always the case. Outside the workplace, many people may have to deal with what Tom, Dick, Harry, Sharma and Verma may have to say, and inside the workplace, they may have to try to get the same Tom, Dick, Harry, Sharma and Verma to consider the suggestions they want to add. The luxury of ease with which Vivian chose to pursue PR is a luxury that comes only with industries that accept you with open arms.
However, passion is not just measured with the zeal to enter a field. Passion is not just a burst of short-lived obsession. Staying abreast of trends and continuously upskilling oneself constantly to support sustained growth is the true test of passion.
We asked a few other members to share their opinions on any major changes they witnessed in the PR and corporate communications industry over the years and how they keep up with it.
“The digital shift in communication has surely been a transformation in the industry and is an aspect that is still evolving. The industry is adapting to delivering data-driven strategies that help understand the sentiment of our audiences and craft better stories.
Something Global agencies adapted to quicker was the usage and offerings of the word 'integrated'. Bringing all capabilities under one roof that ensured a client's overall success was surely a good move, and SPRD made that move before most!
That being said, most agencies in India are still working towards building better collaborations that foster meaningful conversations with the local communities via CSR, but we might just have something up our sleeves in that sector!“, says Samruddhi Vaidya, Communications and Strategy Manager.
“To stay up-to-date, I check industry blogs and websites, engage in continuous learning, follow thought leaders, engage with professional networks, take online courses, experiment with new techniques, and analyse results. By doing so, I ensure that I am well-informed and equipped to navigate the dynamic landscape of online reputation management effectively.”, added Kiran Rajput, Sr. ORM Associate.
The PR landscape that was levelled up from newspapers and radios to audio-visual televisions, is now yet again reinvented by the internet. The whole game moved on from a broadcast model to an engagement model.
PR now included broadcasting prepared content to the masses and then actively shaping their views in real-time through audience interactions online. To stay up-to-date in such a dynamic environment is evidence of a thriving workforce that is not only capitalising on today's tech, but looking oindut for tomorrow’s as well.
As women in a women-dominated industry, PR was an accurate “simulation” to study the leaps employees can make when you remove all kinds of external barriers from an industry. Our true victory would be when a man can just as freely thrive in women-dominated industries and vice versa, eventually leading up to the big picture of eliminating gender dominations in industries altogether.
Psst! This blog was made with 💕 and created after some thought by a real person.
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