Thesis (M.A.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Feb. 08, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-58).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 12, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This research utilized a 1994 study administered by Marilyn Kern-Foxworth, et al. that examined the roles and status of black women in public relations, using individual and organizational discriminates.A survey of 46 questions was administered to 58 women over a seven-week period. The results offered the current profile of a black female practitioner, and suggested that both her role and status are closer to that of communication technician (low-level management) than to expert prescriber (high-level management).The study offered data not included in the original research, such as practitioner salary, region of practice, and professional affiliation. / Department of Journalism

Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011. / This study investigated the professional status of female public relations practitioners in Rwandan public and private institutions by using direct managers as a focal point to get their perspectives about their staff. The study used a structured questionnaire to get information from the managers in public relations or communication departments. While different authors such as Aldoory & Toth, (2002); Wilcox and Cameron (2006:35) and Hon (1995) indicate that the public relations industry is feminised to the extent of 70 percent, the results of this study present it otherwise. The findings reveal that the trend of feminisation in Rwandan public relations industry is not on the same speed as the one in the industry worldwide. This means that based on the findings from different studies worldwide, females are represented by a big number in the public relations industry than males do. Furthermore, there is a gender gap in terms of responsibilities whereby women are more clustered in technical tasks rather than managerial ones. Although Rwanda has opted to empower women in its reconstruction process, they are still affected by the legacies of indigenous culture in terms of stereotypes associated with them and salary gaps which shows that the promotion of a female professional continue to be a problem in some organisations. Considering the research results, the public relations industry in Rwanda is still a new field and hence its practitioners' professional status especially women is not well depicted. However, the results show that female practitioners are able to offer good services to their customers due to their innate caring character and professionalism. The results recommend that local high learning institutions should include public relations courses in their program to ensure long run availability of public relations professionals. In addition the Rwanda private sector is encouraged to open up public relations agencies which will contribute to the improvement of customer care in Rwanda. Finally, the researcher recommends that public relations activities should be well planned in organisations to avoid confusion with other related fields such as marketing, for instance. The researcher further recommends that advance studies should be conducted to engage in the evaluation of the implementation of gender promotion laws and its efforts in various organisations.

This study examines the representation of women in public relations industry publications. The three publications published by the Public Relations Society of America and International Association of Business Communicators were content analyzed to determine the inclusion of women. Findings suggest that women are not represented in industry publications at the percentages of which they represent the field. Results of this study suggest that the contributions and value of women in public relations may still be overlooked despite the feminization of the field. The largest benefactors of this research will be future female practitioners currently enrolled in undergraduate and graduate level public relations programs. An understanding of women’s contributions to the profession is important for many reasons. The scholarly and tactical contributions of women provide examples to future professionals of what can be done in the field as well as the impact they can expect to make in the field. / Department of Journalism