Women And The Struggles Of Networking

Have you wondered why networking is so important that we have so many apps built around it? Networking is one of the fundamental bases of LikedIn. It helps drive business and get hold of opportunities. In Men and Women of the Corporation , Rosabeth Kanter (1977) calls informal networking as the "shadow structure." It refers to a way in which power is achieved or passed on. Networking is one of the best ways to grow your professional career. It is a never ending process and it can take some time to master.?

Networking in the real world looks quite gender neutral, doesn’t it? Women often struggle with networking in their professional careers. In fact, this is one of the reasons why many women are underrepresented in leadership positions. It is difficult for women to participate in informal socialising events as they cannot afford to spend long hours required for it as many working women have household responsibilities and children. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many other barriers that women face while networking.?

What are the barriers women face while networking?

Lack Of Confidence:

Most women have a very hard time with networking whether it's online or off-line. This is because they lack the confidence they have in themselves. This lack of confidence leads them to not reach out and establish meaningful relationships with people in higher positions. Even successful women seem less inclined to network with people in much higher positions compared to men. Some researchers found these women “hesitant to approach powerful contacts because they doubted themselves and felt that doing so could be seen as wasting others’ time.” Men, on the other hand, tended to exude confidence when reaching out to well-connected friends or colleagues.?

Exclusion Of Women:

Sometimes, being a woman in the business world is hard enough without having to deal with your colleagues excluding you from their social circles. Whether out of malice or genuine ignorance, it's incredibly disheartening having to repeatedly be excluded from all-male hangout sessions- especially when you're not quite sure what you are missing out on and need those social connections to make your way up the ladder. There are many cases in industries dominated by men where other women have felt that they've been left out of their male workmates' inner circle no matter how often they were partaking in shared activities or projects.

Household And Childcare Responsibilities:

Carrying out household chores and childcare responsibilities, women do not get enough time for after work activities. Women who are in the workforce full-time have reported difficulty finding time to expand their networks because they do not have free time available during the evening or on the weekend, nor do they have the opportunity to hold spontaneous informal get-togethers with peers from work because these events typically occur later in the day.

Scarcity Of Women Leaders?

One of the reasons why women struggle with networking is due to a perceived deficit of female leaders in high levels of organisations. Women may have networks at middle management level but perceive a lack of mentors at higher levels and may feel alone at the top as they are struggling with dealing with executive roles. Women often feel like they lack the right connections, or that they're not part of the "club" network. This is why many women tend to rely on each other as a way to connect, since so many women often feel disconnected from one another due to a lack of strong female leadership at the top.?

Women who are in human resources have to network if they want to advance their careers in this field. One factor that is so important when it comes to networking is the ability to get out there and approach strangers, build relationships with new people, then potentially turn those relationships into something more.Women need to build the confidence because they have the potential. On the other hand, men in positions of power should also reach out to these women and lend a helping hand. This will help us to close the gender gap and make networking easier for women.?