How Women in PR Can Balance Career and Parenting – and How Their Bosses Can Help

 

The public relations profession tilts toward women. Women make up 63 percent of PR specialists and 59 percent of all PR managers, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Like women in other professions, many women in PR face the challenge of balancing their careers with being mothers.

Other women are often the most critical of working mothers, says a female executive who confesses in an article for Fortune that she maltreated mothers.

“For mothers in the workplace, it’s death by a thousand cuts – and sometimes it’s other women holding the knives,” writes PowerToFly President Katharine Zaleski. “I didn’t realize this – or how horrible I’d been – until five years later, when I gave birth to a daughter of my own.”

Offenses Against Mothers

She recounts her many offenses against mothers. She silently questioned the work ethic of a mother who couldn’t make last minute drinks with her and other colleagues. She scheduled last minute meetings at 4:30 p.m. without considering a mother’s need to pick up kids at daycare.

She showed her work commitment by working late, and felt superior even though she didn’t start working until 10:30 a.m. while parents arrived at 8:30 a.m.

Remorseful over former views, she now realizes that mothers are important to business teams, citing the saying “if you want something done then ask a busy person to do it.”

Unfortunately, many women in their 20s measure productivity by hours spent in the office, not actual work done, Zaleski says. They’re toeing the company line, supporting a work culture that benefits men, and hurting their future selves.

How to Nurture Parents

Looking back, she wished she had been more understanding and accommodating.

Her advice to bosses and business owners:

∙ Provide parents the tools and the flexibility to work remotely,

∙ Be accommodating. If parents can’t join colleagues for a drink after work, ask them to lunch instead.

∙ Be supportive. If someone remarks that they were not at their at desk at 7 p.m., point out that they were at work at 8:30 a.m.

Bringing up Baby

In “Bringing up Baby: the Impact of Motherhood on Career Advancement,” in the Strategist published by the PRSA, mothers working in PR said they believe their chances for success declined after having children. Women who were surveyed seemed to accept it as part of the territory.

“The reality is that I work fewer hours than my counterparts and make lower salary increases in return,” said one respondent. “Women do have choices about working more or less to accommodate their careers or their families as they see fit, but you can’t really have both.”

Marika Flatt, founder and owner of PR by the Book and a mother of three, says it’s challenging to be a good mother while succeeding professionally at a large agency, according to an article from the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations at the University of Texas at Austin.

“Most firms require over 40 hours per week in an office setting, which is usually not enough flexibility for an involved mom,” says Flatt.

Marcy Walsh, vice president of national public-relations firm CRT/Tanaka, recalled when a client urgently pressed her to be on site to handle a crisis. She said no. She was nine months pregnant and unable to take a two-hour flight.

“It was my first realization that I, as a mother, would have to say no at times,” she says.

Tips for PR Moms

Flatt and Walsh offer this advice to prospective moms:

∙ Research each firm’s work environment, and pick the one that suits you.

∙ Seek advice from colleagues who are also mothers.

∙ Work hard early to pay your dues before starting a family.

∙ Provide employees who don’t have children with the same amount of flexibility.

∙ Be open with colleagues about your time constraints.

∙ Don’t feel guilty about hiring a qualified nanny; it’s OK for children to trust someone other than their mothers.

∙ Cut parents some slack in work scheduling so that they can attend children’s events.

∙ The benefit of being understanding toward parents is a more loyal and committed staff.

Bottom Line: PR teams gain important team members and benefits by hiring and accommodating working mothers. By offering flexible hours and telecommuting options, organizations can retain hard-working, disciplined professionals who are experienced at multi-tasking.