Navigating the networking myth: women’s struggle for equity in corporate hierarchies

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how women internalize the belief that networking is a legitimate avenue for career advancement, a process the authors term “the networking myth.” The authors also investigate how women navigate this myth while unknowingly reinforcing the very practices that inherently disadvantage them and sustain male dominance in corporate hierarchies. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a mixed methods approach involving the design of an implicit association test to uncover women's implicit attitudes women toward the legitimacy of networking. The authors then engage in reflective discussions, through in-depth interviews, about how networking practices tend to disadvantage women and how women navigate this arena. Findings – The authors find a paradox. While networking is seen as illegitimate for professional advancement due to the “old boys’ networks, ” and the “subordinate trap” that marginalizes women, networking is also seen as a widely accepted practice that women try to navigate. Through “casuistic self-justification, ” women rationalize their involvement in networking despite having ethical concerns, and through “self-imposed higher standards, ” women try to overcome perceived personal networking deficiencies. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate how relying on networking prowess for reaching top positions may result in women embracing and even legitimizing the same practices that marginalize them. This study is also pioneering because it relies on social dominance theory to conceptualize networking as a legitimizing myth, normalizing and perpetuating the belief that networking success is the result of personal merit and competence, ignoring the structural barriers inherently disadvantaging women in corporate hierarchies.