How European public relations men and women perceive the impact of their professional activities

Starting from the theoretical perspective of gendered discourses, a secondary analysis of the data from the European Communication Monitors of 2008 and 2009, an annual survey about trends in the profession of public relations, was conducted on gender differences. The pilot study shows that female public relations professionals in most of Europe perceive their organisational influence to have less impact than those of men on the strategic decision making and planning of their organisations. Secondly, we found that female professionals value social media and social networks more than their male colleagues. Social media could therefore work to empower the female approach to the public relations profession.