Networking has often been the most ignored element in a woman’s professional journey. But, as the world is advancing and the role of women is getting more specified, they are voluntarily taking on higher roles and greater responsibilities in the workplace, and are asking for more, as they deserve more. A survey of 1,500 women conducted by online career platform for women JobsForHer found that a whopping 94 percent of the women feel the need for more networking opportunities to rise to leadership positions. Networking, particularly in the present time is suddenly gaining momentum and it is perhaps a lot simpler now to reach women from various parts of the world to connect, share, ideate and learn.
The reasons are simple, as the networks offer tangible and intangible benefits. For women, they are safe spaces to share information about salary trends, job growth, and seek advice on navigating workplace challenge, personal-professional growth and access to a world of information and inspiration that they would otherwise not have had. Also, science has shown how women network differently than men. They work well in smaller close-knit groups and form long-lasting, meaningful relationships. Furthermore, 49 percent of the women said the platform that enables them to showcase their leadership skills will help them seek senior positions in their organizations.
Interestingly, 32 percent of women expressed the need for opportunities to interact with women from varied backgrounds and professions to bring in fresh perspectives and serve as a catalyst for change. 18.5 percent of the respondents said that they’d look for a dedicated, engaged network of senior women to help reach leadership positions. Usually, many organizations enroll their high-achieving, rising leaders at world-class academic institutions in leadership development programs/courses, there are many non-academic clubs and organizations to which rising male leaders sought membership.
India Inc is taking note of this gap and there is a rise of women-only networking platforms. There are broad-based platforms such as SHEROES and Lean In. Then there are others that serve niche segments. HerKey and leap.club focuses on rising women leaders, WiT India aims to have more women in leadership roles in STEM while Women on Wealth encourages women to take charge of financial planning.
More women leaders have shown us how empathy and solidarity in working with their teams and societies can soften the blow of a global health crisis. Companies are now realizing how crucial it is to have more women in their leadership ranks. They’re now putting their heads together to also create a pipeline of women leaders from among their women employees, according to a statement.
“Structured mentorship, sponsorship and networking platforms for women are important steps in this direction and a trend which will continue to grow to ensure the world has more women at the helm,” says Neha Bagaria, Founder and CEO, JobsForHer.
