The ongoing debate... Women in PR

Women in PR is an issue that I feel like I hear at every corner. There is the constant debate that the PR industry is mostly made up of women, yet none of them actually run the industry. Well, my opinion, it has nothing to do with them being women. As a woman, I should maybe be a bit more sympathetic, but I'm not. A woman is just as powerful and able as any man and our societies see that today, so instead of sitting around whining about how unfair the world is, women need to put in the hard-work it takes to make it to the top. I can't help but think of the movie The Devil Wears Prada when talking about this subject. Yes, it's a bite cheesy, but watch this trailer and maybe you'll see what I mean...



What really needs to be taken into account is the last bit of the trailer were Meryl Streep says "People think that success just happens to you- it doesn't. Want this life? The decision is yours." It may be a movie, but she makes a valid point that can applied to the whole world. Success does not just happen to people. It comes from hard-work and dedication, which women seem to lack. Not all women, but some women seem to be a bit more concerned with their personal lives than with their jobs. This is also seen in the trailer when Ann Hathaway tells co-worker Stanley Tucci, "My personal life is hanging by a thread" and Tucci responds with "That's what happens when you start doing well at work. Let me know when your whole life goes up in smoke that means your up for a promotion."

I think that the previous quote has a lot of validity into the business world for women. Men will put in the extra effort. They will work extra hours and devote their lives to work. They will do what it takes to make it to the top. Women have that same opportunity, yet they choose to not do it. They would rather have lives.

So, what can we learn from this? The debates need to stop and women just need to become more aggressive in the workplace. Yes, people might talk about them, as they did Meryl Streep in the movie, and, yes, their personal lives might go down the drain, but, hey, if you want to be successful at work, that means that work is your life.