Across communication industries, women face barriers and a Catch-22 situation at all organisational levels and suffer from cultural masculinities. Offering a systematic overview of women’s lived experiences, this book discusses major issues in contemporary communication industries, including public relations, journalism and advertising, to understand the barriers that still exist.
With a particular focus on office culture, the book concentrates on analysing the position and experiences of women working across communication industries and uses the theoretical framework of cultural masculinities to explore whether women’s organisational experiences and the lack of opportunities span across sectors. The author explores how cultural masculinities as well as discrimination, sexism and harassment can work against women’s interests and impede their career progression. The chapters provide a quality overview of existing theories as well as new insights to demonstrate how organisations operate and function in a way that systematically disadvantages women.
The book will be a valuable resource for academics and researchers in the fields of organisational studies, public relations, advertising and journalism, as well as postgraduate and doctoral students in these areas. The interdisciplinary nature will also appeal to those across gender and labour studies and human resource management.
1. Introduction and Rationale for the Book
2. Bourdieusian Theory: Habitus, Field, Doxa, Dispositions and the Masculine Domination
3. Women in Journalism
4. Women in Public Relations
5. Women in Advertising
6. Masculine Domination in Mass Communications Industries
7. References
Biography
Martina Topić is a behavioural sociologist and mass communication scholar. She is an associate professor in public relations leadership at the University of Alabama, College of Communication and Information Sciences, Department of Advertising and Public Relations, United States (2023–). Before joining the University of Alabama, she worked at Leeds Beckett University, UK (Leeds Business School), where she was a reader (2021–2023), senior lecturer in public relations (2017–2021), lecturer in public relations (2016–2017) and graduate teaching assistant (2014–2016). Before that, she worked as a research and teaching assistant at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Political Science (2007–2013). Before working in academia, Martina worked as a journalist and she founded several events companies where she managed public relations and events organisation.
"Workplace Culture in Mass Communication Industries is far more than a scholarly work - it's an enlightening read that challenges us to question and confront societal norms that persist even in our rapidly changing world. Through analysing the relationships between gender, social conditioning, and career progression, the book provides readers with a fresh perspective on women's challenges in the mass communication industry. It’s a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of gender dynamics in the professional world. Thanks to Martina Topić for her research in this important area and for writing One of the Boys. As a working-class middle-aged white bloke from Preston, Lancashire, UK, I appreciate her work and challenge to the industry worldview."
Stephen Waddington, Managing Partner, Wadds Inc.
"Professor Topic wrote the quintessential volume on how socialization embeds standards and norms of a society and impacts public relations, advertising and all media professions. She expounds on Bourdieu’s theory and uses it wisely to frame mass communication and media studies. In particular, her research and the descriptions and analyses of gender stereotypes, such as blokishness, were compelling and new. She does not stop at analysis, though, but concludes with calls to action. This is a must read for students, teachers and scholars in advertising, public relations and other media related fields."
Professor Linda Aldoory, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, American University, Washington D.C., USA
"I highly recommend reading Workplace Culture in Mass Communication Industries. Martina Topic frames her position on how early masculine socialization of women, “one of the boys,” in journalism, public relations, and advertising helps advance their careers, through the use of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological theories of habitus. This book is an important addition to feminist mass communication scholarship. An engaging read from beginning to end."
Elizabeth L. Toth, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, University of Maryland, USA
