The research found that 40% of men earned a salary in excess of £50,000, compared to 23% of women in the PR industry.
The statistic was revealed as part of the The CIPR’s Annual State of the PR Profession Survey of almost 2,000 members, carried out by ComRes.
The results also showed that male practitioners are more likely (30%) to be a member of their organisation’s board compared to their female colleagues (18%).
The findings follow on from a European survey last week which showed a clear difference in pay between men and women in the comms industry.
The CIPR research also found that a fifth of PR professionals hold a board position, while 35% of practitioners who are not on the board state there is a communications professional on the board.
CIPR president Jay O’Connor said: ‘For the first time we have an insight into PR practitioner representation at the boardroom table. We will track progress and work with members to understand the routes and barriers to the boardroom. Of real concern however is the clear disparity on pay and seniority between female and male practitioners.
‘Getting under the skin of this issue is a priority. For a profession with such a large and vibrant community of female practitioners, we cannot continue with a situation where pay and access to senior positions is skewed by gender.’
