Since when did "Administrative Assistant" replace the word: "Secretary"? Why?
Asked by wildcarde24
Finding alot of job classifieds with Administrative Assistant or executive admin asst. that all very similar to what a secretary does.

Best Answer:
It's the same thing. Somehow, in the midst of political correctness, "someone" changed the position's name, and it caught on. In a former life, I was a secretary, and it was very clear what that job entailed. I think the change was made mostly because "secretary" was seen to be stereotyped as a female position, because there would be sniggers when someone was a "male secretary". Admin. assistant became gender neutral. In general, it's like a store clerk becoming a "sales associate" - a change in words that's fluffed up and really doesn't mean anything different.

Job title inflation. Cheaper than money.
Answered by helixburger

Since secretary became considered a sexist job title.
Answered by Black Fedora

Just another example of Political Correctness. Same job, same pay. But slap a fancier title on it and look out.
Answered by J.D.

I don't know when it started. But the term Admin was already common in the mid 80s. Secretary generally implies the person is female and maybe that is the reason.
Answered by spot

no
Answered by awommack

As job titles evolved to become gender neutral, secretary made way for administrative assistant, "admin", for short. Since the root of the word secretary is "secret", I also believed that perhaps the name change, meant that admins were no longer obligated to keep confidences.
Answered by pamspraises

There is a difference between Admin Assistant and secretary. The focus of admin assistant is more on admin functions, than being the typical gofer that most secretaries were. An admin assistant would not get my dry-cleaning, a secretary does. Many employers are not aware of the difference. Have a look at ISCO-88
Answered by dWali