Last week I was invited to the launch of a women’s only networking event. It’s established by a very successful and well known woman in conjunction with a very successful brand of women’s products.
My dilemma?
Well, for as long as I can remember I’ve felt that women’s only networking is just kind of wrong. But, with the arrival of this invitation I wondered if I hadn’t really given it enough consideration and that maybe I shouldn’t damn it until I’ve tried it. Or at least explored the pros and cons.
So to that end I sought out two individuals with apposing opinions on the subject and asked them to contribute their thoughts:
Pro Women’s Only Networking
This from BlueSky PR (who you may notice from the links get invovled in some women only networking groups)
- In traditional male dominated industries, women only networking groups can do wonders for women who may often struggle to make an impact in their profession . For example, womenintechnology.co.uk has been instrumental in supporting women within the IT sector take steps to break through the glass ceiling.
- It is no secret that networking groups, can often be dominated by men. Many women entering such networks may feel intimidated and as a result not get the most out of the experience, or worse still not return. Women only networks have allowed females who may feel this way share values, and learn from like minded females in a non intimidating environment.
- Women only networks provide members with vital role models. Currently, there are far too few female role models within business, networking groups that are run by successful female business leaders can provide guidance and inspiration to others through real life examples.
- There are also plenty of online women only networking groups which have provided a private environment for women to share issues relating to their careers openly without the fear of being seen incapable, or ill informed by their male colleagues. Take the Women in Recruiters LinkedIn Group run by Lothbury Recruitment. This has proven to be a successful platform for women in the recruitment industry to share knowledge and discuss gender related issues .
- Women Networking groups are a great place to find a mentor. Women attending the same networking group do so because they share something – this might mean they work in the same sector, are from the same area, or share the same beliefs.
- Women networking groups can be a platform for women to discuss and seek advice on issues that simply don’t apply to men. For example – returning to work following maternity leave.
Against Women’s Only Networking
This from Gail Sampson, MD of Knockbuckle Associates:
As a woman in business, I get quite tetchy when people suggest women only events – I don’t know why I am so averse to them, but they do not seem to resonate with me, or my business, for the following reasons:
- Discrimination: working in recruitment, this is something we have to be so aware of – sloppy advertising, a poorly executed assessment centre can lead to all sorts of trouble. Attending these “women only” events strikes me as hypocritical.
- Market Share: looking at my LinkedIn Connections, which have all been made added for the good of my business network, over 70% of these are male. This would suggest that in my day to day business, networking with men is a strong move. Attending events where only a minority of my target audience will be makes no sense.
- Networking Styles: this may be down to the type of women only event I have attended, but there has always been a tendency of chasing the quick sale, rather than the long term business relationships. As recruitment is a long term relationship, this feels unnatural to my networking style.
- Life Experience: in spite of attending an all girls school from age 9 until 16, I have always been taught that life was an even playing field. GCSEs, A Levels, Degrees, Vocational and Professional qualifications have all been taken and assessed in a genderless way – why should women go against this in the business world?
- Personal Choice: I like male company and always have done (is this where I add that I am happily married?) – I have close female friends, but I enjoy mixed company the most socially. Why change this in the workplace?
- Networking is the lifeblood of my business and I love it – I have found mixed networking to be the most rewarding – both in business terms and personal terms for the reasons stated above.
Gail has said that she is open to being shown “the error of my ways”, and I’m open to feedback/comments too.
In the meantime I’m going to think on what to do about that invite over the weekend!
Since you ask, I don’t like women’s networking.
It’s a bit like the civil rights movement really. I suppose at the time singling out black rights, black empowerment, black culture etc. was a necessary part of the process, since conditions were SO bad. But you’d like to hope that people have got past that now and it’s more about integration than segregation.
Same logic can be applied to this. I can appreciate that as a man it is easy to underestimate the struggles that women have had to go through/continue to go through for equality in the workplace, but I think in 2011 it’s time to sop segmenting like this. Is my humble opinion.
Jamie – love the analogy. Totally agree about ditching the “segmentation”
Bill – I’ve always found it odd that’s it seems to be acceptable behaviour to exclude men from events like this when the other way round is deemed unacceptable.
Women only? Break the Marzipan layer ladies and be the icing on the top!
I am a man and married to a professional working woman!(and we have 2 young girls) I feel it is right to promote women in the workplace and if women only (networking) events help then this should be encouraged. Men have promoted men for too long and this allows the insecuities that Men hold to exclude women through the keeping of Male only boardrooms. I agree with the Norway model, and also strongly agree that it’s nothing to do with equality, just simply that women make up half the population and it is only men that has stopped their promotion (on the whole), many cases both nationally and locally to support this view). Women on the boards of companies can only help create better decisions and better management generally. (Boots now finally have a woman on the board, Ann Summers flew once a woman took control! A woman at the top of the eurozone!, in Mrs Merkel and Mme Lagarde, IMF.) – Ask yourself’why does an all-male board keep women from joining them’ -maybe sexism, maybe fear. Perhaps the creation of an all male ‘club’ provides the control, salaries, politics and bonuses!! to function without question, that, I suggest, only a woman would change. It’s time women pushed themselves harder and yes also pull other women through, to create better business for all. If men had it there way, deals would be done everyday on the golf course or in male only drinking clubs! – sorry if I sould like an angry woman, but have seen too many walked over!
(Did you see many women on the boards of the broken banks?)
Comment posted by Mark Cosway, Bristol.
I find this sort of thing rather unpleasant and more than a little patronising. I am particularly repulsed by industry awards for women.
We have separate categories for women in fields where they are not as good as men running, shot-put, weight-lifting, etc.) and having separate awards within industry sort of says ‘didn’t she do well, for a girl?’.
Frankly there is no more an excuse for that than there is for a ‘best black newsreader’ award or ‘best journalist with green eyes’. It is unnecessary, segregationist and patronising to the point of being offensive.
I just don’t get why women, or men, feel the need to do this. I’m surprised at BlueSky PR’s observations that networking is `male dominated` and `intimidating`. I find most networking refreshingly unisex and without walls – I find it is a great leveler – and a good professional lady will hold their own in this company – my colleague being an example of this.
It’s all well and good there being networking groups of mutual interest/circumstances – my wife goes to `Mumtrepreneurs` events – and even they aren’t exclusively for women – but to pitch something `Women-only` does, as was alluded to elsewhere, close the business potential market somewhat?!
In the days when we consider Freemasonry, dated, elitist, sexist and no longer relevant (sorry Dad!) and reprimanded by feminist movements – `Women’s Only Networking` events do precisely the same.
I’m not offended by them – I don’t care `that` much. I just think they miss the point.
Each to their own, but I personally find it strange. What if it was a men-only networking group (golf clubs are good at this) – there would be an uproar regarding blatant sexism and the need for equality.
I agree with Steve – I see a mixed group of people at networking events, certainly not all males.
If it works for the relevant groups, then to coin a phrase from the youth of today – ‘whatever’ – there are more important things to worry about 🙂