Mothers in Business, The Women Entrepreneurs of Finland, Aalto Women in Business – there is no shortage of women’s networks focusing on succeeding in work life. Professor Marjo-Riitta Diehl from Aalto University’s Department of Management Studies, and the founder of the Driven Woman network, entrepreneur Miisa Mink would like to see networking become even more common.
‘Finnish women are used to getting things done without complaining. Up here in the North you need to be brave and persistently push through – even if you are knee-deep in snow,’ Mink says.
‘Sure, you need persistence, but women also need room for creativity and peer support. Networks that have a strong feminine energy,’ Mink underlines.
Women’s organisations have a long history in Finland. The umbrella organisation for women’s networks that promote gender equality – The National Council of Women of Finland – was founded already in 1911. It includes 71 organisations and about 400 000 members. Some of its member organisations are traditional women’s networks like the Martha Organisation, but it also has many women’s networks that are focused on work life.
‘Women’s networks concentrating on work life issues are being founded all the time. Women have been particularly good at networking online and during the corona pandemic this trend has strengthened even more,’ Diehl points out.
Support and advice from networks
Women’s work life networking has been studied a lot since the early 2000s. Many studies emphasize that women don’t reap as much benefit from networking as men do.
‘Studies show that women benefit less than men from networking, if benefits are measured as career advancement, increases in pay, and invitations to important events. Researchers have pondered whether the scarcity of women leaders can be attributed to the different ways that women and men network,’ Marjo-Riitta Diehl says.
‘Of course, you can criticize the way that benefits are defined. Women say that above all, networks offer them emotional support and advice. Many women also say that this is exactly what they are looking for from networks,’ Diehl adds.
Miisa Mink, who founded the Driven Woman network in 2013, accentuates that women often look at life as a whole, not separate silos. They see their career as important, but it is still just one aspect of life.
‘In women’s networks, you hear about other women’s struggles and accomplishments. Hearing the success story of someone similar to you often creates a domino effect: I too am going to ask for new challenges at work, and a raise,’ Mink describes.
Diehl and Mink emphasize that many kinds of networks are needed in work environments: networks that are open to all, women’s networks, men’s networks, networks for sexual minorities, networks focused on eliminating ageism, networks for immigrants. There is room and a need for all.
‘Fostering women’s networks is one important way that we can advance gender equality in work life. Networks offer a space where women can share their experiences without being interrupted – and without being challenged to prioritize some other group’s needs,’ Mink highlights.
Clear themes are appealing
Many women’s networks or their meetings concentrate on clear themes, such as technical skills, investing, presentations skills, how to handle conflicts, or some current issue.
‘Research shows that women commit more to networks built around specific themes. Women often feel that networking just for the sake of networking is uncomfortable. It is more gratifying to participate in a network that focuses on a specific theme, where the networking comes as a by-product,’ Diehl remarks.
Diehl says that many women appreciate networking opportunities that are arranged during the workday.
‘I was recently speaking to a German women’s network. They said that they always arrange their meetings during lunchtime, so family obligations would not prevent women from participating,’ Diehl mentions.
‘This is precisely what our corporate clients request from us as well,’ Mink concurs. ‘Many women want meetings in the middle of the workday. A women’s network meeting held at the end of the workday won’t work.’
‘Many women also want networks that are meant solely for women, where there will be no masculine energy judging them,’ Mink adds.
Women in the mid-stages of their work careers would benefit most from networks that could help them boost their professional advancement.
‘Women who have just entered work life have not yet hit the glass ceiling, and they don’t find work life particularly unequal. For example, several large consulting firms often have more women than men entering the company in junior positions. But after a certain amount of career development, women disappear from many organsational charts: they are not chosen for leadership positions,’ Diehl says.
‘Exactly. One study conducted in the U.S. revealed that about 50 percent of those women who entered work life with ambition to reach top management say that their ambition and self-esteem plummeted after just two years in work life,’ Mink affirms.
