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“It’s always been a sexless trade”; “It’s clean work”; “There’s very little velvet curtain”: Gender and public relations in post-Second World War Britain

Jacquie L'Etang (Department of Media, Communications and Performing Arts, Queen Margaret University, Musselburgh, Scotland)

Journal of Communication Management

ISSN: 1363-254X

Article publication date: 2 November 2015

798

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to capture historical data relating to the enactment of public relations work based on gender in post-war Britain. The paper contributes new insights on gender formations in public relations practice during that period in that cultural context, providing a point of contrast with present day practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Historical sociology.

Findings

The paper presents data drawn from interviews and document analysis that reveals the separation of male and female work in public relations.

Research limitations/implications

The research provides contextual historical background to the burgeoning contemporary research that is focused on issues relating to gender and LGBTQ in public relations, and highlights historical features which may have shaped the contemporary occupational culture in the UK. The research may provide useful background context for comparable studies in adjacent disciplines.

Practical implications

This is a culture-specific study and cross-cultural comparisons would be useful in understanding the extent to which female work in public relations has been similarly framed historically.

Social implications

There is historical residue in the popular representations of women in public relations in film and media in the UK, for example the notion of “PR girl”. Understanding the origin of such stereotypes and their persistence is important for professional bodies and practitioners.

Originality/value

The paper brings to light previously unpublished opinions and perspectives from the post-war era.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Thanks to those practitioners and journalists who generously shared their life stories with the author. The author is also very grateful for the access and assistance given from the archive of the History of Advertising Trust (HAT), Beccles, England. Finally, thanks to the authors friend Kate Fitch for her encouragement and shared historical conversations.

Citation

L'Etang, J. (2015), "“It’s always been a sexless trade”; “It’s clean work”; “There’s very little velvet curtain”: Gender and public relations in post-Second World War Britain", Journal of Communication Management, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 354-370. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-01-2014-0006

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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