Why your company needs a women’s network

Despite progress having been made, professional women are still facing gender challenges in corporate environments. Issues such as isolation, exclusion of women in organisational social structures, the ongoing gender pay gap, limited access to female role models, sexual harassment, and gender bias and discrimination. These are all factors which are holding women back, and women’s networks can help to address these barriers. 

Women’s networks can take any form, have any structure, be online or in person, have two people or 20 people. So it doesn’t matter if you are an SME or a global corporation! 

Here are the 7 key reasons why we think you should create a women’s network in your workplace:

1. Safe place to express thoughts and feelings

Not speaking about our issues adds to our stress and can end up actually manifesting itself physically. You may feel like you can’t tell your partner or some of your friends because they won’t understand or because you feel like you’re bothering them. You certainly don’t feel like you can tell your boss you might be struggling for fear of being treated differently. The beauty of a dedicated forum to talk about these issues is that you know the other people present are already willing to listen and will probably understand what you’re going through. The first step in getting help about any issue is to talk about it and a women’s network offers the perfect, safe space to do just that.

2. Realising you’re not alone 

So often, when we don’t talk about our issues, we think we are the only person in the world going through it and that sense of isolation can exacerbate our condition. When you talk to others and hear their similar stories, you realise that there are countless people going through the same thing as you. Women are commonly told that they are being dramatic about pain or symptoms or that we’re making things up. By hearing others talk about their experiences, your experience is validated and that might give you the strength you need to talk to even more people. You are never alone in your experience and I guarantee that whatever you’re feeling, whether physically or emotionally, someone else has gone through that and the power in knowing that you are not alone in that is incredible.

3. An opportunity to learn

From speaking with and listening to others talk about their experience, your eyes will be opened. You may enter a space thinking you know what’s up with you because of what you’ve Googled or because of how a doctor has diagnosed you but through the course of hearing from others, your course direction might be completely changed – and for the better. Or you may enter a space thinking you’re fine and you’re just there to be a support and a helpful hand but by listening to others you quickly realise that the pain you’ve been experiencing every month isn’t ‘normal’ or the mood swings or level of bleeding that occurs is not normal. We have been conditioned to think pain and suffering as a woman is ‘normal’ but it is not. From listening to others and their lived experience, what we learn could be life-changing and even life-saving.

4. Instilling hope

After countless misdiagnoses, unanswered questions and dumbfounded looks from medical professionals, many women report often feeling completely hopeless about their condition and often surrender to it believing that this is just how it is and will be forever. By being in a supportive group and listening to others, you may hear a story that sounds similar to yours and take comfort in the fact that the person eventually found answers. They can be an example that finding answers and confirmation is not an impossibility and you can look to them for inspiration and hope to find answers for what’s going on for you too. Even if it still takes months and years to figure out what’s going on, at least you have the knowledge that many were once in your shoes, but got out of that hopeless state and found answers and treatment as a result.

5. Power in numbers

The more people in the network, the more power you have, particularly in a workplace setting. If you have a boss or colleague who dismisses you or doesn’t believe you when you say you need time off to manage a condition or when you need to take an hour here or there for a doctor’s appointment, having that support behind you to back you up is incredibly powerful. It’s a lot harder to dismiss 10 women than it is one! This network of women who believe you and validate your experiences could be a game-changer in terms of you being supported, but also teaching the rest of the organisation about these issues. It means that instead of you sticking your neck out on your own, you have a whole team of people to rely on to give you that confidence boost and to stand behind you all the way.

6. Practise discussing difficult issues

By talking with people who truly understand and resonate with what you have to say, you practise voicing your issues and dissecting these sometimes difficult and awkward topics. If you’ve previously had trouble talking to family, friends or manager about what you’re going through, having this practice and confidence behind you could make discussing these issues that much easier. You might learn better ways of broaching the subject or perhaps even how to talk about it in a straightforward manner that isn’t so emotionally taxing for you. This practice will better equip you to be your own advocate and fight even harder to be heard by your doctors or your employers and your loved ones in the future.

7. No pressure zone

The beauty about a women’s network is that, often, there are no expectations or set structures in place. There can be but also there doesn’t have to be. You are free to come along and just listen and take in what others have to say until perhaps you feel confident enough to contribute. They should be a safe and confidential space free from judgement and disregard; a space where you feel comforted and supported. There should be no pressure to be, do or say anything other than what feels right for you.

We hope we have encouraged to either go along to a women’s network or set one up. The power of community and similar experiences cannot be understated. The learning you get from other women speaking their truth often cannot be gotten from books or doctors. If nothing else, you learn empathy and that there could be a million things going on for someone that you would not have known if you hadn’t joined this group and that skill in itself is priceless.

Not sure where to start? Let us help you..

We have worked with various organisations to set up women’s networks, such as EMCOR UK. Make the most of our expertise to create and grow a thriving community to empower women in your workplace. Get in touch today to find out how we can help at [email protected] 

Sources

Catalyst (1999). Creating Women’s Networks: A How-To Guide for Women and Companies. 

Committee of 200 (2022). Why Women Need A Professional Network. 

Papafilippou et al (2022). Women’s formal networking: The relationship between networking activities and power.