Networking is crucial to improving the careers of women, according to new findings.
A new report published by the British Psychological Society (BPS) revealed that of those women who were at the top of the corporate chain, their ability to build, maintain and use social capital was the key to their success.
However, worryingly all of the participants believed that most women were not able to harness those skills.
Speaking about the findings, Natasha Abajian, a postgraduate student at City University London, said: “Access to social networks typically differs for men and for women. Usually women have less access to networks associated with career progression. These networks or ‘who you know and who knows you’ are responsible for a large percentage of career progression, so limited access could be a barrier to women’s opportunities.”
Ms Abajian went on to state that although the phenomena of the ‘glass ceiling’ is widely known, it still does not take into account the ‘subtle inequalities’ that prevent women from reaching the top of their career paths.
She added that even the term ‘glass ceiling’ itself can cause women to behave in a stereotypical manner.
The Davies review set a target for FTSE 100 firms to have 33 per cent female board members by 2020.
Its findings showed that FTSE 100 companies have already exceeded the voluntary target previously set for 2015 of having 25 per cent women on their boards.
