Advertising and public relations degrees: profiles and the glass ceiling in the Spanish labour market

Abstract

According to data from the Spanish Association of Advertising Agencies, 90% of management positions in communication companies are occupied by men. However, the percentage of women studying communication degrees in Spanish universities, and specifically bachelor’s and master’s degrees in advertising and public relations, is higher than that of male students. This study evaluates the gender perspective taught in advertising and public relations degrees in Spain, to determine whether society demands this female vision of communication, PR, advertising and institutional and corporate activity. Furthermore, it gathers opinions on the role of women in the structure of communication companies. Based on triangulation, the methodology combines a content analysis of university syllabi, a questionnaire for students or graduates, and a panel of experts made up of academics teaching degree courses in advertising and public relations and communication practitioners. The results point to adequate and constantly (r)evolving training, in which skills and curricula meet the professional environment. Factors such as crisis, digital progress, the expansion of new work formats and the new role of the consumer require multidisciplinary teams with transversal skills – where women have a significant role to play.

Socialinių medijų strategijos lyčių lygybės artivizme. Ispanių feminisčių iliustratorių nuomonės formuotojų karta

“…The last conclusion corroborates that they help to break the existing glass ceiling in the Spanish media scenario, a gender inequality that occurs in the public and professional spheres, which has already been highlighted in the review of the scientific literature (Jiménez-Marín et al, 2022) and addressed by the experts consulted. They awaken reflection with a didactic and appealing discourse.…”

“…An example of this is the unfair incongruence that takes place in the Spanish communication industry: on the one hand, women are the majority studying communication at university; on the other, they are a minority in positions of power within this professional sector, remaining stagnant in lower and middle charges (Jiménez-Marín et al, 2022).…”