A few weeks ago, I met up with a friend I’ve known since university. We had an interesting discussion: I wanted to invite her to our next schalk&ladies event. This event format, which we as hosts have been organising for our customers and partners for over three years, is designed to promote networking with and among them. In the days of the coronavirus, it was still online, but now it’s finally back in person, always linked to an interesting topic or cultural event – and with enough time to chat over a drink and make new connections. My girlfriend said she wasn’t interested … and that women no longer needed to network exclusively without men anyway. Quite the opposite! If anything, this would undermine our position as equal players in business life and put us, along with other “minorities”, in a corner that we shouldn’t occupy (anymore).
Your reasoning got me thinking.
Is it really the case that such events no longer bring any added value because we as women now have equal rights in working life? Are they counterproductive in times of diversity and inclusion, or have they at least fallen out of time?
Professional networking is a skill that women and female readers first had to learn from their male colleagues. Even if many of them have already mastered this in their private lives without any problems or effort, at work they usually lack the time, opportunity or access to success-orientated networking. An American study confirms the importance of women’s networks – but at the same time came to the conclusion that women need to network differently than their male colleagues in order to benefit professionally. While it was essential for both male and female MBA graduates in this study to be centrally networked – i.e. to have as many contacts as possible – women in particular were 2.5 times more likely to gain access to excellent, well-paid (management) positions only if they also maintained an “inner circle” of two to three good, female network contacts*.
What I personally always notice at these events: the atmosphere is more relaxed, the conversations are more casual and at eye level, we often start directly with the “you”. We talk about professional topics as well as private ones such as family or hobbies. I find it particularly inspiring and nice to meet so many interesting women and hear their opinions, be it on dealing with superiors, AI in marketing, new work or even balancing work and family.
In these moments, I like to think about my daughter and the daughters of my colleagues and partners. And I hope that when they start their own careers at some point, they will really find such events “out”. Because they are firmly established and equal in their professional lives. Because they have the same opportunities as their male colleagues. And the same self-confidence. Because they know what they are worth.
Until then, we at schalk&friends will continue our successful series of events; perhaps supplemented by a large joint customer event next year. Because one thing is certain: networking among women is not only fun, it also makes it easier for us to exchange ideas on modern marketing and to access and work in male-dominated industries. And brings us a big step closer to real equality.
*Harvard Business Review, Brian Uzzi: “research: men and women need different kinds of networks to succeed”, February 2019
