At present, ethnic minorities play an extremely small role in the PR industry, which has a very white outset, and in order to sell itself successfully to the wider public, its make-up should epitomise the UK’s multicultural character. As a public-oriented industry, PR needs to understand the wider community, and in order to do this it needs to recruit more ethnic minorities.
Why are ethnic minorities underrepresented in the PR profession? Typical answers may be reasoned on the basis of racism. However, Kiran Natt, the PR and Events Manager at Club Asia Radio, who has academically researched in this area, corrects that there is no outright discrimination in the industry. Rather, there is a lack of understanding and awareness about what the PR industry entails. During her Masters studies, Kiran found that she was the only Asian girl from London who was interested in the PR profession, and thus in a quest to “find others like me” she did a dissertation on the current and potential role of ethnic minorities in the PR industry. She shockingly found very limited resources and even the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) initially had no positive figures on the status of ethnic minorities in the PR profession.
Tradition has it that many ethnic minorities, particularly Asians, are obliged to pursue a doctor-lawyer vocation route because they are perceived to be of a high status and financially rewarding. Kiran calls this the “main external barrier”, which is at the core of why ethnic minorities are underrepresented. Accordingly, the lack of role models is a major factor in why very few people from different backgrounds are interested in the PR line of work. Lack of role models creates a lack of confidence in ethnic minorities to join the PR industry.
In addition, there is generally a great lack of awareness of the profession itself. The difficulty in defining what the PR industry is, and the fact that it often seems like a mysterious, impenetrable secret society, reinforces its veiled status. Rather than there being a straightforward “definition” describing what the PR industry entails, Kiran suggests that it is easier to see it as more of an “activity”. However, as Kiran discloses from her findings, this lack of awareness is more apparent with minority groups, which further conveys why the industry is mainly underrepresented of minority groups.
Media and television are key links in making the PR profession more observable to different ethnic groups. Recently, viewers related to the popular Asian soap Jassi Jassi Koi Nahin, where the main character, who is an Asian girl, is working in PR. Such role models should be shown more in the limelight in order to make the PR industry more visible to people from different ethnic backgrounds.
To become more diverse, the PR industry needs to have more publicity and exposure. Making ethnic minority parents and children aware of the profession will augment people from different ethnicities to get involved in PR work. During her research Kiran was invited to become a member of the Diversity Roundtable initiative run by the CIPR, for which she is now an active member. The initiative encourages and promotes ways in which the PR industry workforce can be diverse, but is in its early stages. Natt revealed that the CIPR were instrumental in every step of her journey in her research and campaign for more ethnic minorities to get drawn into the PR industry. Such publications are the catalyst towards making the general public aware, whilst positively encouraging more ethnic minorities to feel more confident in getting involved in the industry.
There is a massive potential role for ethnic minorities in enhancing the diversity of the PR work force, which would also create a better cultural understanding. With better understanding comes greater success and quality. Kiran celebrates diversity in her own workplace at Club Asia, which consists of people from different cultures and religions. She argues that political correctness is over-exaggerated, and that people are prone to make mistakes. What they should do is learn from their mistakes and this will aid greater integration and understanding amongst different ethnicities in industries, particularly
the PR profession.
To sum up, racism is not at the heart of why ethnic minorities have a small role in the PR work force. More exposure of the industry and role models is the key to encouraging greater representation from different ethnic backgrounds. Another crucial factor is that the PR agencies need to understand the importance of a diverse workforce and review their recruitment process, so that they employ from a diverse pool of talent.
Furthermore, one should not forget that this is also has a personal element attached. With the right attitude, confidence and determination anyone can follow such a career and can make a difference in encouraging greater representation. Kiran Natt is one of very few ethnic minorities involved in the PR industry and through her work she is a clear role model, paving the way to encourage others that they can also be successful. If she can do it, why can’t anyone else?
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