Missing women: why businesses are losing female talent

Stephen Waddington at Socially Mobile outlines new research that reveals why women leave the public relations industry mid-career, costing businesses valuable talent and diverse perspectives

 

The recently published Missing Women study undertaken by Socially Mobile and published by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) sought to understand why women leave the public relations industry mid-career or fail to advance to senior positions. It’s an issue that affects not just public relations but any sector with a feminised workforce and male-dominated leadership – from education and healthcare to legal and financial services.

 

UK Government data from England and Wales shows two-thirds of practitioners working in public relations below director level are female and a third are male. The situation is reversed in senior roles: 54% are male and 46% are female.

 

In England and Wales (equivalent data is unavailable for Scotland or Northern Ireland), 63,563 people work in public relations practice. This gap therefore accounts for almost 4,000 female practitioners.

 

 

The three barriers to women in senior roles

The research, which combined survey data from practitioners and in-depth interviews with 30 mid-career and senior women, identified three interconnected barriers that give rise to this issue.

 

Firstly, cultural barriers persist through a “boys’ club” mentality in leadership and the devaluation of public relations as “soft” work.

 

Secondly, women encounter structural barriers: through limited development pathways, poor maternity support and inflexible working patterns.

 

Finally, societal barriers see women shoulder disproportionate parenting and caregiving expectations, making them more likely to make career compromises to justify the cost of childcare.

 

These barriers intensify as women progress in their careers, often leading them to question whether remaining in their industry is sustainable in the long term.

 

The business cost of missing women

Losing experienced female talent represents a significant business issue for companies. For instance, CIPR President Advita Patel notes, "in a profession built on its people, losing nearly 4,000 practitioners isn’t coincidental. It’s a systemic failure. Every departure drains invaluable experience and weakens the industry’s future potential".

 

Avril Lee, Chair of CIPR’s Diversity and Inclusion Network, shares a similar perspective. "When businesses increasingly need trusted public relations counsel, this talent loss is unsustainable. Our industry’s credibility depends on retaining talent," she said.

 

A key insight from the study is that women who succeed in senior roles do so despite multiple barriers, rather than because those barriers have been removed. They develop creative "workarounds".

 

For instance, they deploy strategic career management, treating careers as portfolios to be actively managed rather than linear progressions. They also deliberately move between in-house and agency roles at different career stages, and switch between full-time, part-time, and freelance work depending on life stage. Seeking out progressive employers with genuine flexible working policies is key to this, as is self-funding professional development and building strong professional networks

 

However, these strategies often come at a significant personal cost, with women facing difficult compromises between career advancement and work-life balance.

 

Nicola Green, Chief Communications & Corporate Affairs Officer at Virgin Media O2, describes the situation as "a silent crisis that has continued for far too long," adding that "the creativity these women show in navigating the barriers and finding workarounds to stay in the game is remarkable, but they shouldn’t have to".

 

 

Five interventions for meaningful change

While this research focused on the public relations industry, the findings have clear implications for any sector with a feminised workforce but male-dominated leadership. It is essential that all such industries take action in five critical areas to address the issue comprehensively.

 

Leadership development and progression. Organisations need structured career development frameworks with transparent progression criteria. This includes formal sponsorship programmes where senior leaders actively create opportunities for emerging female talent and regular reviews to ensure equal pay.

 

Work pattern flexibility. Flexibility must be meaningful rather than superficial. Organisations should offer job sharing at senior levels, establish clear boundaries around availability, and ensure reduced hours come with proportional responsibility and fair pay. Performance evaluation should focus on output and impact rather than presenteeism.

 

Life stage and well-being support. Enhanced parental leave policies need to be complemented by structured return-to-work programmes. Organisations must provide comprehensive support for different life stages, including menopause, through workplace adjustments and increased understanding.

 

Cultural and behavioural change. Women should not be required to "build confidence" or undergo assertiveness training to succeed. Organisations must create environments where everyone’s contribution is valued and different leadership styles are recognised and celebrated.

 

Structural and organisational reform. Securing management representation for communications functions helps challenge the devaluation of public relations work. Regular equal pay audits with clear action plans address structural inequalities, while investment in technology enables genuine flexible working.

 

 

What must businesses learn?

The message for business leaders is clear: piecemeal interventions fail. Organisations making genuine progress treat retention as a strategic priority, supported by senior leadership commitment, adequate resourcing and regular monitoring.

 

Most importantly, policy change alone is insufficient. It must be accompanied by genuine cultural transformation that challenges deep-rooted assumptions about gender, work and leadership. Only then can businesses fully benefit from the talent, experience and perspectives of their entire workforce.

 

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Stephen Waddington is Founder and Director of Socially Mobile

 

The CIPR-supported Missing Women study was undertaken by Socially Mobile in March 2025. The research team included Rana Audah, Ben Verinder, Josie Shepherd, Sarah Waddington CBE, Stephen Waddington and Isobel Wilson-Cleary

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and pcess609