Networking has always been a necessary and useful tool to climb the career ladder, but could women-only networks be more of a hindrance than a help, asks Lee Higgins, founder of Diverse Talent Network.
Despite a shift in the working landscape, including the rise of networking over the past five years, gender imbalance remains a barrier to female retention and progression in the workplace. And senior and junior women in work cite gender segregation as a major factor.
There has been a small increase in the number of women holding senior management positions, which reached 33.5 percent in 2024 up from 32.4 percent in 2023, according to a recent study.
But retaining women in senior positions is still an issue across most UK sectors with many reasons contributing to this.
We know that when women leave the workforce to have children, there can be difficulties coming back to work and juggling a main caring role alongside a fast-paced full-time job. We know that sometimes, a lack of flexibility can contribute to this. We know that the UK has the highest childcare costs, making a return to work for some women impossible.
However, for all those women in the workplace, keen to progress to senior management or leadership positions, we often hear segregation and a lack of diverse networking opportunities being cited as another obstacle which prevents their career advancement.
Networking looks different now
Networking has always been a necessary and useful tool to climb the career ladder. Historically, building those networks has been done in very male-orientated environments such as on the golf course or the pub. Those environments are not conducive to working mothers or those with religious beliefs, which may prohibit them from bars and pubs.
For many, they can be uncomfortable situations to be avoided at all costs. But those individuals often see their networks remain static and thus their career progression.
I am pleased to say in my experience as the founder of Diverse Talent Networks (DTN), networking can look very different now and very often does.
Networking is being seen as the new way to recruit in a diverse, inclusive and equitable way and with these industry shifts, networking has also changed.
Working with large financial and legal institutions to ensure they are attracting diverse talent means that we are often privy to conversations not heard by leaders of organisations. Female-only networks are a hot topic. Is segregating genders in networking situations beneficial? The answer from women is often a resounding no.
Women are powerful networkers
A 2023 study found that 94 percent of women above management level felt confident in the power of their network to “support or advance” their careers and that 80 percent of those women use networking to secure paid board seats and c-suite positions, as well as negotiate higher pay.
Women-only networking groups undoubtedly have their place as somewhere to safely share experiences.
Women-focused events, mentorships and professional organisations can be brilliant avenues for women to connect and advance their careers. But they aren’t enough, and as CEOs and leaders, we must ensure that gender division does not muddy the waters of inclusivity and diversity when advancing careers and hiring talent.
Women-only networking groups reinforce gender segregation, which is unhelpful.
At DTN, we hear from women in the workplace that they can be eco chambers or, on the flip side, spark competition with each other.
Inclusive spaces
Networking is still there as a way to introduce people, to facilitate promotion in some cases and to connect, but the way it is done is different.
Now, unpicking hiring strategies, which are holding organisations back in terms of diversity and inclusivity, means paying close attention to networking practices within your organisations.
It’s worth examining which members of the organisation can serve as advocates, mentors, and sponsors and which people, inside or outside of the organisation, can make a difference to the other? We all need allies and those allies shouldn’t be gender specific.
So, what does non-gender-specific networking look like? It is about creating inclusive spaces where people of all genders can connect, share ideas, and build professional relationships without gender-based biases or barriers.
It is about thinking about communication in a non-gender-specific way, so think about how to use neutral language. Some women we have spoken to say they are uncomfortable in mixed networking with the feeling that they are not being listened to and that there is no time or loyalty afforded to them in that space, and they, therefore, retreat to female networks.
The key is making sure we ensure events and spaces represent all genders, that one gender does not dominate the discussion and that topics include everyone and are not skewed one way or the other. This is just a start but an important one when it comes to networking and how to do it inclusively, with equity, and to ensure you get the best diverse talent to set your organisation apart.
