Overview

This edited volume analyses leadership in the public relations (PR) industry with a specific focus on women and their leadership styles. It looks at how women lead, the inf luence of the socialisation process on leadership styles, the difference between feminine and masculine leadership styles, and the impact of leadership style on career opportunities for women. The book features case studies exploring leadership in PR around the world in an attempt to answer a central research question: is there a masculine habitus in the PR industry despite the rise of women in PR? The authors of each chapter conducted original research on women working in PR within their own country and provide original insights into the position of women in a feminised industry, as well as proposing new and original theoretical frameworks for future research. Written for scholars, researchers and students of PR and communication, this book will also be of interest to those studying gender studies, leadership and organisational analysis, and sociology.

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9780367752415

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Reviews

"""Martina Topić offers a unique approach in the field of women and leadership. Moving a step further from the EUPRERA project which Martina is leading entitled ""Women in Public Relations"" the book extends to research and set an organizational and sociological inquiry in the position of women in PR by drawing from Aldoory and Toth’s socio-ecological framework and ecofeminism. Martina edited a clear and at the same time critical book which explores the cultural masculinities and habitus perspectives under which women live and work. The book is like a mini-encyclopedia of the scholarship covering women and leadership in PR. The depth of research undertaken in all chapters complements the originality of the idea."" - Dr. Anastasios Theofilou, Bournemouth University, UK, author of Women in PR History ""The book ‘Towards a new understanding of masculine habitus and women and leadership in public relations’, edited by Martina Topić, gives completely new insights into women's leadership in the so-called feminine dominated public relations. In addition to upgrading and deepening the insight into the dominance of structural barriers in building the managerial careers of women employed in public relations, the internalization of the so-called masculine practices in ambition towards career advancement and ""lack of recognition within the organization but also at a wider level with the lack of professional recognition of PR as a field"", a great contribution of this book is in a specific call for socio-ecological and ecofeminist approaches to studying public relations. The book can be roughly divided into four major sections. In the first part, a quality overview of existing research on women and leadership in public relations suggests further research. The second part presents case studies on women and leadership in public relations from several different countries (United States, Latin America, England, Greece, Georgia (Europe), Czech Republic, Turkey). In some of these countries, for the first time, this type of research has been conducted. The third unit provides an overview of leadership in public relations by women who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and contribution to the field (Belle Moskowitz, Ronèl Rensburg, Nicola Sturgeon). The final unit covers the area using a critical qualitative method and focus on an in-depth understanding of the meaning women assign to their role using small interview samples. This book is a worthwhile read for all students and researchers of gender (in)equality in the business community, public relations practices. Still, it is also an invitation to question the role of public relations in today's global world, in the first place gender inequality, but also environmental degradation. These two problems have the same origin - the hierarchical, patriarchal culture in which we live, and this book is an excellent call to action to deconstruct the unjust system in which we live."" - Dr. Mirela Holy, VERN University, Croatia, author of Mythological aspects of ecofeminism"

Author Information

Martina Topić is a Reader at Leeds Beckett University, UK. She was project lead for the British Academy funded project on Women in UK’s Advertising Industry, HEFCE-funded project on Women in British Journalism, HEFCE-funded projects on Women in PR and research-based teaching and student satisfaction. She currently leads the EUPRERA research network on women in public relations (previously a project lead, 2018–2021) and she is a research lead for the #WECAN project (Women Empowered through Coaching and Networking), funded by the European Social Fund and Department of Work and Pensions. She is an editor of the section Culture, Media and Film of Cogent Arts and Humanities Open Access journal (Taylor and Francis), editor-in-chief of Corporate Communications: An International Journal, editor-in-chief of Northern Lights: Film & Media Yearbook and editor-in-chief of the book series ‘Women, Economics and the Labour Relations’. Martina is the author of Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Affairs in the British Press: An Ecofeminist Critique of Neoliberalism (Routledge, 2021).

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