Has the glass ceiling really been broken? Elektronische Ressource : the impacts of the feminization of the public relations industry in Indonesia / Deborah N. Simorangkir

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Public relations is often regarded as a female field. The public is allured by the young celebrity publicists who have become celebrities themselves, and listen to the explanations of the spokeswomen assigned to manage crises after the latest industrial “mishaps.” Across the public relations industry, women are no longer limited to the lower level technical jobs. In Indonesia, over the past decade, women have entered public relations in the conventionally male dominated fields of finance, politics, and government, and even heavy industry. Young women are racing into higher education courses in public relations, and women predominate in its teaching. Many women are setting up their own agencies and are even winning the top jobs in major public relations companies. In Indonesia, public relations is a developing field where it seems that gender equity has become a reality. But has it really? This research aims to analyze the impact of the feminization of public relations, and whether this is benefiting women practitioners and the overall industry in Indonesia. This research draws upon gender in public relations and feminist labor market literature, as well as personal experiences of female public relations practitioners. Findings of a major United States study on women in public relations show that the glass ceiling and inequity in remuneration seem to be a custom in public relations, as they are in other professions.