THE TRUE COST OF PR’S INVISIBLE WORKFORCE

Women in PR reveals the overservice culture that marks the barrier to female caregivers taking on leadership roles

• The average female caregiver in PR works almost 100 hours per week, 58% of which is unpaid overtime and shouldering the burden of home responsibilities
• Three quarters (76%) have hidden or downplayed caring responsibilities at work
• 70% of industry don’t know how many of their colleagues have caring responsibilities
• 83% of women say caring has impacted their career progression
• A new video highlights the true cost to PR’s worker

An Invisible Workforce is powering the PR industry, according to new research by Women in PR launched today. The Invisible Workforce is made up of parents and carers (‘caregivers’) who are balancing demanding professional roles with high volumes of unpaid work in their personal lives that goes unseen in the workplace, impacts progression and disproportionately impacts women.

Women in PR’s research, in partnership with Opinium, shows that the Invisible Workforce is maxed out on capacity – with women working an average of 91 hours per week.*

With almost two thirds of women’s time related to overservice in the form of unpaid overtime and the disproportionate impact of household responsibilities, a staggering 83% of women in PR say caregiving has affected their progression, significantly higher than the national average of 45%.

This invisibility is endemic, as seven in 10 (70%) PR professionals do not know the proportion of colleagues in their organisation who have caregiving responsibilities. This stigma means that three quarters (76%) of caregivers have hidden or downplayed their home responsibilities at work.

The research marks the launch of a summer-long campaign by Women in PR, which aims to shine a light on the barriers to women holding leadership positions, provoke conversation about the value of caregiving and share practical innovation for workplaces to ensure talented people don’t have to choose between career progression and caregiving.

Katie Eborall, Women in PR, said: “Therapy appointments, hospital corridors, making lunches, remembering homework, sick children and school pickups are the lived reality that caregivers juggle around work every day. When you add the average day in PR – deadlines, the expectation to always be on, touchpoints with every part of business, pace, requirements in unsociable hours – it’s easy to see why this is such a challenge specifically in our industry. The truth is that caregiving while holding down a career in PR is hard and messy

“Added to this, women are disproportionately impacted yet make up two thirds of our workforce, meaning we have a bigger challenge than some industries. Our research shows how women are not only overloaded, but they are also quietly taxed on their progression, mental health and ambition.

“Invisibility only reinforces structural and engrained industry rituals that create barriers to women advancing a career in PR. This campaign is designed to boost awareness, create conversations about innovative working practices and reduce resentment and stigma.”

Many of the biggest barriers facing caregivers are systemically built into the daily reality of working specifically in PR, from networking and industry events outside working hours (71%) to expectations to always be available (65%), being present in person (53%) and travel requirements (51%).

For many women, the consequences are significant:

• More than half (55%) regularly experience burnout
• 68% have reduced their hours or changed roles to accommodate caring responsibilities
• 43% have considered leaving the PR industry altogether
• Worryingly some have reported more extreme consequences including being sacked while pregnant, bullying and rigid requirements designed to exclude caregivers

Alongside the research, Women in PR has launched a short film exploring the lived experiences behind the findings in collaboration with Emperor. Through the voices of PR professionals around the country, spanning working Mums and Dads, those caring for parents, partners or children with complex needs, in house and agency, the film reveals the realities of managing unpredictable caregiving commitments alongside careers in the PR industry and shows the emotional toil that has led to workers leaving roles, experiencing burnout and lacking advancement.**

The research also highlights the value caregivers bring to the industry; nine in ten (91%) say caregiving has made them more resilient, while respondents also report becoming better at multitasking (87%), remaining calm under pressure (82%) and better time management (77%).

The campaign and film aim to facilitate discussion about the practical changes organisations can make, with respondents identifying flexibility, supportive managers and workplace cultures where people can openly discuss caring responsibilities as the changes most likely to help.

Ginny Paton, President of Women in PR, said: “The lived realities in this film expose the worrying trend that the sector is collectively overlooking and underestimating the challenge of building workplaces that foster the talents and skills of caregivers – and this doesn’t have to be the case.

“By keeping the invisible invisible, the sector is actively self-selecting the same leadership, deprioritising caregivers unless they make serious sacrifices – to their health, their caregiving responsibilities or to their finances.

“This is part one of a long-term campaign in which we are calling on the sector this summer to look at caregiving in a different light, to reconsider the value of the Invisible Workforce and their unique skills, and break the invisibility cloak of caregiving. By opening up this important conversation, we want to showcase the unique talent and skill female caregivers can bring to help make the industry more inclusive and our ambition is to create solutions and actions for the industry looking into next year.”

Women in PR will be sharing content for individuals and employers on LinkedIn to navigate the critical summer period, where annual leave across organisations and caregiving reach a natural peak in intensity, and the organisation is calling on the sector to engage and share their best practice models and experiences, which will be included in the next stage of the campaign moving into 2027.