Published 25th Jun 2026
The 2026 GWPR Annual Index – the only global survey for women working in PR and Comms – will explore the impact of AI on PR careers, skills and the future talent pipeline
Global Women in PR has launched its eighth Annual Index, inviting women working across PR and communications around the world to share their views and experiences.
First launched in 2019, the GWPR Annual Index, conducted in partnership with Opinium Research, has become an important global benchmark for tracking the progress of women in public relations. Each year, the survey explores issues including flexible working, leadership representation, boardroom presence, career breaks, ageism, diversity and inclusion, and harassment in the workplace.
To maintain year-on-year comparison, the core survey remains consistent each year, enabling GWPR to monitor long-term trends and identify where meaningful progress is being made. For 2026, the survey includes a new focus question on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the PR industry, reflecting one of the most significant shifts currently facing communications professionals worldwide.
The new AI section will look at how AI is being used in day-to-day PR work, from content drafting and campaign measurement to research, graphics generation and recruitment assistance. It will also explore the concerns women in PR have about the rise of AI, including the potential impact on entry-level roles, reduced opportunities to learn on the job, over-reliance on AI-generated content, misinformation risks and the growing emphasis on technical skills.
The 2025 GWPR Annual Index revealed that while progress toward gender equality in public relations continues, it remains slow and uneven. The 2025 study found that male-dominated boardrooms had dropped from 61% in 2024 to 51% in 2025, showing steady improvement. However, 85% of respondents said more must be done to ensure women have greater boardroom presence.
Other findings from the 2025 Index highlighted persistent barriers including caring responsibilities, inflexible working practices, lack of transparency around recruitment and promotion, the ongoing impact of career breaks, harassment in the workplace and a concerning reduction in visible DE&I commitments.
Susan Hardwick, Co-Founder of Global Women in PR, says:
“Since launching the first GWPR Annual Index in 2019, our ambition has been to create a consistent global benchmark that helps the industry understand where progress is being made, and where women in PR continue to face barriers.
The value of the Index is that it allows us to track change year on year. While each survey reflects the mood of the industry at that moment, the consistent structure gives us the evidence we need to keep the conversation focused, informed and accountable.
For 2026, we felt it essential to look at the impact of AI. It is already changing the way PR professionals work, but we need to understand what that means for women’s careers, skills development, entry-level opportunities and future leadership. AI brings enormous opportunity, but we must make sure it does not create new barriers or widen existing inequalities.
We are asking women across the global PR and communications industry to take a few minutes to complete the survey and add their voice. Every response helps us build a clearer picture of the industry today and supports GWPR’s ongoing work to champion more inclusive and representative leadership.”
The GWPR Annual Index 2026 is open to women working in PR and communications across agency, in-house, freelance, independent and consultancy roles.
The findings will be published later this year and will provide an updated snapshot of the global PR landscape, alongside year-on-year comparisons from previous Index reports.
