From Secretaries to Executive Assistants: The Evolution of the Administrative Field

This morning, after my husband brought me breakfast, we settled into what ended up being a lengthy discussion about the history of the admin field. Riveting, right? Well, to me it is! In my opinion, the evolution of the modern administrative role is an evolution of women's rights in the workforce. 

I know that talking about the work as if it's exclusively done by women is wrong, but when you review the statistics:

"According to Zippia Career Experts, over 353,903 executive assistants are currently employed in the United States. Additionally, 86.9% of all executive assistants are women, while 13.1% are men. In the UK, the split is even more dramatic, with 94% of people in business support roles identifying as female and only 6% as male."

It becomes evident that it is a women-dominated industry. When you do a little deductive reasoning and research, it's obvious why that is. I am less concerned about creating gender equality in this role as I am continuing to elevate the role of primarily women-identifying individuals, into a respected profession that pays a wage equivalent to the skills that it requires.

The history of the administrative field is a fascinating tale of transformation, resilience, and empowerment. It is intrinsically linked with the increasing participation of women in the workforce and their journey to professional recognition. Let's explore the origins of secretaries, the critical role they played in enabling women to enter the workforce, and how the profession evolved into the executive assistant role we know today.

The Changing Landscape: Men in Secretarial Roles

From the Renaissance until the late 19th century, men involved in the daily correspondence and the activities of the powerful had assumed the title of secretary. With time, like many titles, the term was applied to more and varied functions, leading to compound titles to specify various secretarial work better, such as a general secretary or financial secretary. Just "secretary" remained in use either as an abbreviation when clear in the context or for relatively modest positions such as administrative assistant of the officer(s) in charge, either individually or as a member of a secretariat. As such less influential posts became more feminine and common with the multiplication of bureaucracies in the public and private sectors, new words were also coined to describe them, such as personal assistant.

The Emergence of Commercial Schools and Typewriting

In the 1840s and 1850s, commercial schools were emerging to train male and female students in the skills needed to work in a clerical position. In 1870, Sir Isaac Pitman founded a school where students could qualify as shorthand writers to "professional and commercial men." Originally, this school was only for male students. In 1871, there were more than 150 such schools operating in the United States, a number that grew to as many as 500 by the 1890s.

In the 1880s, with the invention of the typewriter, more women began to enter the field, and during the upcoming years, especially since World War I, the role of secretary has been primarily associated with women. By the 1930s, fewer men were entering the field of secretaries.

Promoting Professionalism: National Secretaries Association and Beyond

In an effort to promote professionalism among United States secretaries, the National Secretaries Association was created in 1942. Today, this organization is known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). The organization developed the first standardized test for office workers called the Certified Professional Secretaries Examination (CPS). It was first administered in 1951.

The Mid-20th Century: Secretarial Pools and International Demand

By the mid-20th century, the need for secretaries was great, and offices and organizations featured large secretarial pools. In some cases, the demand was great enough to spur secretaries being recruited from overseas, particularly young British women who were sought to fill temporary or permanent secretarial positions in the U.S. Several organizations were created to assist secretaries from foreign lands, including the Society of International Secretaries and the Association of British Secretaries in America.

The Birth of Secretary's Day (Administrative Professionals' Day)

In 1952, Mary Barrett, president of the National Secretaries Association, C. King Woodbridge, president of Dictaphone Corporation, and American businessman Harry F. Klemfuss created a special Secretary's Day holiday to recognize the hard work of office staff. The holiday caught on and is now celebrated during the fourth week of April in offices all over the world. Secretary's Day was later renamed and expanded into Administrative Professionals' Week to highlight the increased responsibility of today's secretary and other administrative workers in the professional service and to avoid the stereotype that "secretary" refers only to women or unskilled workers.

Changing Perceptions and Evolving Roles

Until recent years, the profession of secretary in the original sense was often subject to stereotypes and pejorative connotations. Secretarial work was easily associated with low-value, thankless, and poorly paid tasks, such as serving coffee to superiors, making photocopies, or filing menial documents. Furthermore, the profession was once exercised almost exclusively by women as a pink-collar job and was considered part of the unskilled labor force in previous decades. However, in the 21st century, many employers began reclassifying many professional service entry-level white-collar jobs, including ones historically held by men, as secretary, administrative assistant, or program assistant roles.

Employers have long preferred unmarried women, a notion that resonated with governments and unions when jobs were scarce in tough economic times. During the 1930s in the United States, both a number of states and the federal government attempted to legislate married women out of the labor market, finding support from unions promoting "family wages"—a wage equal to a married woman's husband, which had enough income to support both a household chore wife and a flock of children. All legislative initiatives that wanted to create a legal basis for such discrimination ultimately failed. However, even without a legal basis, employers tried to exclude married women from employment. In a 1940 survey, 40% of 485 U.S. companies surveyed said they had clear policies barring married women from working for them. The reason given was that married women would soon leave their positions anyway, and if they stayed in their positions, because of their domestic and family responsibilities, they would not give their paid work the attention that an unmarried woman would. Many of the women working in the office, therefore, lied about their marital status. (Career Queens!!)

Strategic Business Partnerships: The Shift towards Collaborative Success

In the next digital age, administrative professionals will need to go beyond their traditional support roles and become strategic business partners. This shift will involve developing a deep understanding of the organization's goals, industry trends, and competitive landscape. By doing so, Tech Savvy Assistants can provide valuable insights, contribute to decision-making processes, and actively participate in the development and execution of business strategies.

Administrative professionals who embrace this shift will need to develop strong leadership skills, enhance their critical thinking abilities, and cultivate a solutions-oriented mindset. They will also need to develop strong networking skills, both within and outside their organization, to expand their knowledge base and establish collaborative relationships that contribute to their company's success.

The Benefits of the New Administrative Professional

As administrative professionals transition into Tech Savvy Assistants and Strategic Business Partners, they will experience numerous benefits, including:

Enhanced job satisfaction: By expanding their skill set and taking on more challenging and strategic responsibilities, administrative professionals will experience increased job satisfaction and a greater sense of fulfillment in their work.

Improved career opportunities: With a diverse set of skills and a strong understanding of the business landscape, administrative professionals will be better positioned for promotions and career advancements within their organizations.

Increased value to the organization: By embracing technology and becoming strategic business partners, administrative professionals will be able to contribute more significantly to their organizations' success and drive tangible results.

Greater professional recognition: As their roles evolve and their impact on business outcomes becomes more evident, administrative professionals will receive increased recognition and appreciation for their contributions to the organization.

Conclusion

Today, Administrative Professionals play an indispensable role in organizations, serving as strategic partners to executives and contributing to the overall success of the company. The profession has come a long way from its early days as a secretarial role, with admins now widely recognized for their expertise, leadership, and ability to drive change. As the administrative field continues to evolve, it remains a powerful symbol of the progress women have made in the professional world. The story of the secretary's transformation into the modern admin is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of the profession and serves as an inspiration for future generations.