More Women, Same Wages: What the Data Is Telling Us

For years, conversations around gender equity in advertising and public relations have centered on visibility: getting more women into the room, onto leadership teams, and in front of clients. But visibility hasn’t guaranteed fairness. Despite being more present than ever, women in the industry continue to be paid less than men and are often underrepresented in the most senior, highest-paid roles — a clear sign that inclusion still isn’t translating into equity. 

According to a recent Forbes article, in 2024, women earned just 85 cents for every dollar earned by men — based on median hourly wages across full- and part-time workers. That’s only a four-point gain since 2003, when the gap stood at 81 cents — a reminder of how slow progress on the gender pay gap continues to be. 

PRWeek’s 2025 Salary Survey revealed that in 2025, the gender pay gap widened to an average of $15,000 — a striking $7,000 increase from last year’s findings. Notably, women in the two most senior experience brackets saw smaller year-over-year salary increases than their male peers, reversing last year’s trend and highlighting persistent disparities at the top. Meanwhile, men with seven to ten years of experience saw the largest average salary jump across the board.

This data should serve as a call to action: to not only bring more diverse voices into the fold but to ensure those voices are valued, compensated, and empowered to lead.

True inclusion goes beyond access — While the industry has taken meaningful steps forward, the latest data is a clear reminder: representation must be backed by structural change.