How appearance, not just competence, holds women back in PR: IIM, NMIMS study

The PR industry in India may appear to be dominated by women, but a new study by IIM Lucknow and NMIMS reveals that the path to leadership is riddled with subtle gender biases. The research found that women in PR are not just judged on their competence, but also on how they appear, speak, and live their lives. Prof Medha Bakhshi, one of the researchers, explains that while women make up the majority of the workforce in PR, they are vastly underrepresented in the C-suite.

The study interviewed 24 senior women in PR and corporate communications, all with over 18 years of experience. The findings highlight the challenges women face in balancing their professional and personal lives, as well as the expectations placed on them to conform to traditional feminine ideals. The study's findings reveal that women in PR are subjected to a complex set of biases, ranging from being accused of being too friendly at work to facing sexual advances from senior executives.

The pressure to maintain a certain image and to perform at a high level is immense, with women often held responsible for their own success or failure. The study concludes that in order to overcome these barriers, women in PR need to be more assertive and self-confident, while also challenging the cultural norms that perpetuate these biases.