Women who Network: Obstacles and Approaches
While workplace relationships with high-status colleagues can help in advancing careers, decades of research has found that building these relationships is more challenging for women than for men.
One challenge is that confidence and assertiveness are typically required for lower-status workers to make these connections. Owing to gender bias, women exhibiting these traits are often perceived as pushy or arrogant. Self-promoting or refraining from doing so to avoid backlash are both obstacles to women creating strong collaborative connections with high-status individuals.
Women do have one networking advantage over men, researchers found: they are about one-third times more likely to form high-status connections through third-party ties—intermediaries who can introduce a lower-status person to their high-status connection. These third-party ties are particularly helpful to women, researchers Carla Rua-Gomez et al. found, “Because they are not mere connections; they are endorsements, character references, and amplifiers of capability. They carry the implicit approval and trust of the mutual contact.” This endorsement can help override any biases the high-status connection might subconsciously or consciously hold.
Both the third-party connection and the high-status individual may be either male or female, but “our estimates suggest that the presence of long-tenured high-status women significantly reduces the gender disadvantage faced by low-status women,” Carla Rue-Gomez et al. wrote in their Academy of Management Journal paper. The researchers theorize that shorter-tenured women are comparatively less helpful to lower-status women to avoid the perception of gendered favoritism while establishing their own credibility.
Suffragists, c. 1920. (Filson [KY] Historical Society Subject Photograph Collection)
Firm leaders can help close the gender gap by incorporating the following into their networking programs, the researchers suggest:
Mid-level networking sponsors and mentors are the most effective intermediaries between upper-level individuals and junior women—not those at the highest ranks of the company.
Female sponsors with the longest tenures are the best candidates for these roles since they do not fear the “favoritism threat” of being perceived as helping other women because of their gender rather than their qualifications.
For women seeking to build their networks, Inga Carboni et al. have these suggestions:
Learn to say “No.” Women are typically asked to do a disproportionate share of tasks that do not contribute to their career growth. Those who are more strategic, efficient, and thoughtful about how they spend their time are more likely to advance.
Accept that relationships change, and be nimble in cultivating connections. While maintaining long-standing relationships can be beneficial, an individual’s importance in your career may change with it. It is important to continue to develop new connections that are most helpful to your current work.
Cast a wide net. People in different regions, positions, and even industries can inform your perspective and provide access to broad sources information.
It’s not enough for women to be highly competent and confident; they are also expected to be warm. Women who exhibit emotional intelligence and good listening skills are better able to build trust with colleagues.
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