When Networking Goes Nowhere: Explaining Gender Inequality In Tech

In many industries, leaders and recruiters will make a case for networking as an essential part of anyone’s career plan. In some ways, this isn’t a new idea. The phrase “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” has neatly described the ways social connections and ties inform access to everything from job openings to educational opportunities and more. In the tech industry in particular, it’s common to hear about founders and investors who know each other from college and build on those shared connections to launch new products, platforms, and apps. The thinking goes that if various groups just developed their networks more fully, they would have more expansive access to various resources, knowledge, and opportunities. But new research shows that path is a bit more complicated than we might think.

How Networking Maintains Gender Divides

Sociologist Ethel Mickey’s new book Networking to Nowhere takes a deep dive into the myths and realities behind networking in the tech industry. Mickey notes that workers in this field are inundated with advice to build networks. But what this advice often misses is that networks are systematically built and utilized differently by men and women in the field. Women engage in what Mickey refers to as “strategic networking”—going to conferences, attending events, and other activities intentionally designed to build their roster of those in the industry. On the surface, this seems to make sense and corresponds exactly with what many leaders and managers would advise. The problem, however, is that this strategic networking women do rarely yields results. It doesn’t translate into job opportunities, mobility, or other resources, because these connections are more surface-level ones that are not built on established trust. Meeting someone at a conference and exchanging cards does not necessarily foment a strong relationship that can turn into a recommendation or job lead. In fact, Mickey finds that for some women, these events can be sources of harassment and exclusion—far from the intended goal of forging connection.

In contrast, men in tech do what Mickey calls “strategic socializing.” They don’t spend copious amounts of time attending industry events and making introductions. Instead, they choose to build on the relationships they already have. They make a choice to grab a beer after work, to go shoot pool, to accept a golf invitation. And in doing so, these men build on the ties they already have. Notably, they don’t even see this as “networking”—Mickey notes that many respondents told her that they did not take this approach to their careers. But by following these normative paths, these men were able to engage their existing relationships with industry colleagues to learn more about job opportunities, available openings, and possibilities for advancement.

Networking Done Differently

Reading Mickey’s book, two things really stood out to me. One is how timely her findings are, especially in an era where we are bombarded with information about how AI is going to disrupt and fundamentally reshape access to entry-level professional jobs. In a time when new entrants to the workforce are particularly worried about not just landing employment, but whether jobs will even be available, I anticipate more pressure on workers to do this networking. Mickey’s work is useful here because it highlights that this is likely to be a flawed strategy. There is a very American tendency to place an enormous amount of emphasis on ways that individuals can change their station—we believe that if we just work hard enough, we’ll achieve the outcomes we want. But Mickey’s work is part of a long tradition of sociological research showing that structural constraints are nearly impossible to overcome through individual effort. In other words, tech workers can attend all the industry events they can fit into their schedule, but if they’re not embedded into networks built on trust and access, this individual effort won’t amount to much.

Second, Mickey’s findings highlight the dynamics that marginalize underrepresented workers. Women workers have long been scarce in tech, and have been vocal about the pressures, biases, and stereotyping they encounter in the field. Networking to Nowhere is useful for highlighting some of the unspoken, everyday processes that make it hard for women to break into and advance in the field. It’s not that women tech workers lack the skills and capabilities to code, develop ideas, or work well with others. But when they are largely excluded from group activities and relationships—even unintentionally—they have fewer chances to showcase their abilities.

Ironically, of late the tech industry has been moving away from its previous efforts to address the low numbers of women workers and men of color in the field. Networking to Nowhere shows why this choice is a mistake. These problems won’t resolve themselves, but with deliberate attention to team-building, forming relationships, and creating ties, tech companies can make networking really count, and they can strengthen their work forces in the process.