A comparison of sex roles in public relations

This article reports on the author's survey of members of the Public Relations Society of America in which he evaluated men's and women's perceptions of professional role models. Glen M. Broom asked a systematic sample of PRSA members to respond to questions about four conceptual role models: the expert prescriber, the communication technician, the communication facilitator and the problem-solving process facilitator. The results indicate that public relations practitioners see themselves in only two roles—those of communication technician and some combination of the other three models. He found that men and women differ significantly: Men see themselves primarily in the expert prescriber role, while women reported the communication technician as their dominant role.