Chapter 9: Becoming and Being Freelance PR Women in Croatia: Female Students’ Perspective

Numerous studies have detected that since the 1980s, most employed professionals in the public relations (PR) industry are women (Fitch, 2010). However, the feminisation of the industry does not mean the realisation of gender equality and the dissolution of traditional gender-based asymmetries (Fitch, 2010; Grunig et al., 2005; Serrano, 2022). Topić (2020) points out different forms of work discrimination (e.g., glass ceiling, pay gap, masculine work culture) and bias (e.g., gender stereotypes, lack of power). Polić and Holy (2020) analysed the PR industry in Croatia and concluded that it is a strongly feminised sector and that patriarchal gender roles require women to participate much more in household chores. With that in mind, choosing a freelance work status can reconcile career ambition and household responsibilities for women in the PR industry. In order to investigate whether freelancing has a future in the Croatian PR industry, which is primarily a female ghetto, the perception on freelancing among female PR students in Croatia was researched. The research is based on the dissemination of online questionnaire to PR and communication students in Croatia between May 23 and October 2023. The focus of the chapter is the familiarity and perception of freelancing among female Croatian students studying state and private communication studies. Based on the results of the research, it is indicated whether freelancing has a future in the Croatian PR industry and whether female students recognise freelancing as an opportunity to reconcile career ambitions and the demands placed on them by patriarchal gender roles.