The World of Women Public Relations Practitioners in Qatar

Abstract

This study presents a portrait of the female PR practitioner in Qatar drawn from a questionnaire administered to 156 practitioners from both government and private sector. Public relations in Qatar has emerged over the last three decades to become a well-established profession with international public relations firms, PR programs and majors in the department of Mass Communication at Qatar University and Northwestern University. The study investigates the backgrounds, professional orientations and working conditions of the female PR practitioners in Qatar, as well as their age, nationalities, professional values, PR and public opinion, PR functions and roles, PR ethics, concepts, working conditions and job satisfaction, PR and information technology. The study suggests that 94% of the female PR practitioners are nationals, 92% of them are married and hold a bachelor degree with one third of them majoring in public relations. In terms of professional values, the majority of the practitioners did not mention the strategic roles of PR such as research, strategic planning, managerial roles and decision-making support. Findings show that more than two thirds of the surveyed practitioners objected to the use of unethical methods to reach the goals of the organization. Practitioners in this study have also a strong belief that public relations play a major role in building a good corporate image for the organization and good relations with its publics. Women PR practitioners admit that public relations in Qatar focus on publicity and media liaising (Grunig Press a gentry and general Information models) and do not use research and lacks qualified professionals.