Despite comprising a majority, women often find themselves lacking in power.

Despite comprising a majority, women often find themselves lacking in power.

In a groundbreaking report by Quadriga Hochschule, commissioned by politik&kommunikation in 2023, the focus was on women in the political communications industry. The author calls for a sharper focus on the present and the future potential of this industry.

The term "feminization" in the PR field refers to the growing presence of women in the profession. By 2025, the PR industry in Germany is said to be feminized, with more women than men active in the field. However, the communications profession is diverse, encompassing press and media work, interest representation, and public affairs work directed at the political-administrative system.

Despite women being in the majority in all positions in the overall communications industry in 2025, with 57 to 43 percent in communications leadership, reliable numbers on the representation of women in political communication are hard to find. This is due to political communication not being a common job title and often being defined by the specific craft (PR, public affairs, marketing) rather than the context (near power, politics, government).

The question of how women fare in political communication, including whether they truly co-determine or merely co-operate, remains unanswered in the provided text. Women's power and representation in political communication, especially in leadership roles, remain unevenly distributed across different sub-fields of the communications profession.

In formal political leadership and parliamentary roles that influence political communication, women are underrepresented. For instance, women currently make up about 32% of Members of Parliament in contexts like the UK, which is the highest proportion recorded but still far from parity. The underrepresentation is more pronounced in countries like Nigeria, where women struggle to meet a 30% affirmative action target in elective and appointive political positions.

While social media initially promised a more level playing field for women in political communication by allowing direct personal messaging and bypassing traditional media, studies show that female politicians experience more gendered incivility online, which can diminish the empowering effect of these platforms. Visibility tends to be lower for female politicians in many European contexts compared to their male counterparts, which affects their ability to leverage communication channels fully.

Across communications sub-fields, women’s leadership remains disproportionately low relative to educational attainment and potential. Despite achieving parity or near parity in education, this has not translated into comparable leadership roles in political communication. Gender biases, structural barriers, and the persistence of traditional power networks in communication professions continue to limit women’s leadership opportunities and their representation in decision-making roles.

The study focused on who influences politics from behind the scenes, who represents interests, and shapes messages. The author suggests creating additional spaces where women can consciously negotiate, promote, and advance as a potential solution for increasing women's power in the industry. However, the author questions the assumption that organizational measures can work all the way to the top of the industry.

In the age cohort up to 39 years, there are almost three women for every man in the PR and communication profession. The corporate representations had a female share of around 31 percent, while the public affairs agencies had only about 12 percent. The author believes that this solution doesn't have to involve adopting a typically male approach.

Interestingly, in 2025, the proportion of women in PR and communication has remained at a constant level for the first time in 19 years. The author does not repeat earlier facts about the proportion of women in different age cohorts, positions, or industries. Horizontal and vertical segmentation in the PR industry means that women are often found in less prestigious areas and subfields, and their proportion decreases with increasing hierarchical level.

In conclusion, the distribution of power and representation for women in political communication leadership roles is constrained by structural, cultural, and digital factors that vary by national and political context as well as specific sub-field within communications. It is crucial to address these challenges to ensure a more equitable and inclusive political communications industry.

[1] Source: [Citation Needed] [2] Source: [https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefings-for-members-and-peers/commons-research-briefings/sn06561/women-in-parliament-statistics-2021/] [3] Source: [https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2021/3/nigeria-women-s-representation-in-politics-remains-low] [4] Source: [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1742716420971643]

1. The PR industry in Germany is expected to be feminized by 2025, with more women than men active in various sub-fields such as public affairs work directed at the political-administrative system.
2. Despite women accounting for the majority in leadership roles in the overall communications industry in 2025, reliable numbers on their representation in political communication are hard to find due to its diverse nature and lack of a common job title.
3. Across different sub-fields of the communications profession, women’s power and representation in political communication, especially in leadership roles, remain unevenly distributed.
4. In formal political leadership and parliamentary roles that influence political communication, women are underrepresented, with under 32% of Members of Parliament in contexts like the UK being female, and even lower numbers in countries like Nigeria.
5. Gender biases, structural barriers, and traditional power networks in the communication professions continue to limit women’s leadership opportunities and their representation in decision-making roles, necessitating efforts to ensure a more equitable and inclusive political communications industry.

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