Why are ethnic minorities underrepresented in the PR profession?

Typical answers revolve around the issue of racism, however, in my view; I feel that there is no absolute bias or favoritism within the industry. However, I do believe that there is a lack of understanding and awareness about what the Public Relations industry necessitates.

Decisions are made vastly on various traditions and customs, which force and influence many ethnic minorities, particularly Asians, to follow a profession which revolves around Law or Medicine. This is due to the motive that professions such as Law or Medicine are perceived to be of a high status and financially rewarding. I consider this reason to be the main external hurdle, which is at the foundation of why ethnic minorities are underrepresented. However, there are many more branches that stem off the idea of under-representation and that is of the lack of role models. This is a major factor, in my opinion, in why very few people from different backgrounds are interested in the field of PR. Additionally, the lack of role models actually generates a lack of self-assurance in ethnic minorities to join the PR industry.

However, Anwar's (1998:57) Study on the career aspirations of Asian peole showed that Asians of today have no intentions of Pursuing typical careers that their parents might expect, which include medicine or accountancy, for example. The causes of this maybe because of the dramatic increase of Asians on television. But, if this is really the case, why are we not witnessing a rise of Asians working within the PR industry?

Will we ever see it? What is your take on this?

Asians in the Public Relations Industry

As you are aware, I am studying a Masters degree in PR and to be totally honest, I was shocked at the fact that I am the only Asian girl from London who was interested in the PR profession.Due to this very reason, it has inspired me to explore more into this area, and try and establish reasons as to why there is a lack of Asians working in the PR industry.

The PR industry is a public-oriented industry; it therefore, needs to understand the wider community which it intends to serve and in order to do this successfully, it needs to recruit more ethnic minorities.

High-lighted in the CIPR’s diversity policy, only, 8% of the population in the UK is from an ethnic minority. Currently, ethnic minorities, especially British Born South Asians, play an enormously small role in the world of the Public Relations industry. It is evident that the industry has had a very white out-set and in order to advertise itself productively to the wider community, its structure should reflect the UK’s multicultural nature.

What are your thoughts on this and why do you think this is so?

Introduction

Welcome

How many of you actually know somebody, Asian, who works within the Public Relations industry?

I am assuming that you don’t actually know of any. If anything, maybe on 1 or 2. Am I right?

Have a read of the following posts and feel free to add your thoughts.