Is there a difference between an administrative assistant and a secretary?
Asked by PMD
Especially if your pay hasn't changed. I ended up in hot water for accidentally calling someone a secretary after she'd been re-classed an administrative assistant. I certainly didn't mean to offend her, especially when she was already upset about not getting a raise. By no means am I in the ivory tower. I am as low on the totem pole as you can get.

Best Answer:
Originally, the term secretary with any number of adjectives referred to male aides who usually did much more than replicate paper work. One of the best known is John Hay, the assistant private secretary to one Abraham Lincoln. As women came into the work force, their social status prevented them from wielding the same authority as a man and the position quickly dissolved into phone calls, coffee and dictation. At it's origination, the term administrative assistant was more in line with the classic secretary and was most prominent in social and non-profit organizations. The relationship with an executive was similar to that of prime minister and the queen. The director was out front while the aide oversaw almost all of the day to day affairs. Once again, primarily due to the women's movement in the 60's, this predominantly male title was appropriated as more befitting the less administrative position of secretary. Eventually, administrative assistant came to be practically any single seat position of a woman reporting to a man. Today, with a new trend toward the preferred executive assistant, the other two titles are being pushed farther down the chain of responsibility. Unfortunately, the same thing happened to the pay scale as a new title assumed the favored position. The best way to judge how your company delineates between your positions is to compare the job descriptions for each one. Send a "New responsibilities?" titled email to Human Resources with a "cc:" to your supervisor. Explain that you want adapt as quickly as possible and copies of both job descriptions would be helpful. You can review them and talk to your supervisor, or repost here for additional suggestions. Good Luck

Nope. 'A rose by any other name ...' Admin Assistant is just a fancy title for Secretary.
Answered by Marci

Where I work, Administrative assistant is just the politically correct way of saying Secretary.
Answered by phatkat_2@sbcglobal.net

No. Secretary is just considered an outdated description of the job and Administrative assistant has a more distinct sound to it.
Answered by JustMe

Actually it depends on the company. In your case it might not be, but in some companies an administrative assistant is the direct support to a Secretary, hence the term "administrative assistant". This arrangement can be found in ultra conservative cooperation's or government jobs.
Answered by diva3kids

It would be rare for these two terms to have different meanings. In most cases an Administrative Assistant is just the politically correct term for a Secretary. However, in very few instances, it can refer to two (2) different positions.
Answered by thehorseshoehoney

No it is the same thing. Administrative Assistant is just the new word for Secretary since it is apparently no longer politically correct to say secretary.
Answered by Tracy M

It usually means the same thing. Just like a stewardess is now called a flight attendant and a janitor a custodian. *rme*
Answered by Heaven Lee

Both are interchangeable words ! Secretaries and administrative assistants perform a variety of administrative and clerical duties necessary to run an organization efficiently. They serve as information and communication managers for an office; plan and schedule meetings and appointments; organize and maintain paper and electronic files; manage projects; conduct research; and disseminate information by using the telephone, mail services, Web sites, and e-mail. They also may handle travel and guest arrangements.
Answered by V.T.V.RAM

No, just the "Correct term" for secretary
Answered by Angie