To me, a "secretary" is someone who would sit at a desk near an entrance, greet people, and maybe answer the phones. Maybe also have limited "PA" or "AA" jobs (calendar management, send faxes, type e-mails/letters verbatim, minimal paperwork, etc).<p>Which still largely exists at the entrance to many companies/businesses, but doesn't really exist as often in the context of a personal or corporate secretaries.<p>Now, the article argues that these people still exist but that the name has changed. I disagree, I think the expectations have changed. Companies expect this individual to do more than just greet people and answer calls - they have to have a brain. They have to contribute.<p>For example an "administrative assistant" of a big executive might not only have to answer calls and greet people, but might also have to draft e-mails, speeches, and similar only to have the executive sign off on them. They might also have to work with other departments to get things done (things the executive themselves used to do).<p>So an "administrative assistant" at least from my perspective is almost a junior executive themselves. They have the same kind of role.<p>Now "personal assistant" is a non-executive/administrative role. But what a "PA" does varies widely from company and executive. I mean some PAs are literally doing things like collecting dry cleaning and having the executive's car services (and, yes, this IS in the job description) while others are just glorified "secretaries."<p>I think what it really boils down to is that people, in the West, are far too expensive to just have them for the sake of it. In this day and age they're expected to contribute more for less, or they're surplus of requirements.