Women Who Support Other Women Are More Successful, Study Shows

Having an all-female network has proven benefits for women climbing the corporate ladder, but it'll take more than handing out a business card or two to secure those connections. Founder, Shelley Zalis, of The Female Quotient, recently shared with Forbes some tips from female CEOs on how to find and establish those strong female connections needed to achieve success.

Navigating male dominated careers haven't always been easy for women, especially with fewer women in leadership roles than men. We are expected to climb the corporate ladder with limited resources while also carrying the weight of stereotypes that hinder us from making lifelong female connections. While it may seem more logical to establish a male dominated network in order to achieve success, studies suggest that by treating them as allies rather than competitors are more successful than women who do not.

Social networks play a pivotal role in professional advancement, but often times work in favor of men rather than women. A recent study conducted by the Harvard Business Review looked at the differences between the networks of male and female MBA students to determine what type of networks helped them land executive leadership positions. To make this connection, researchers Brian Uzzi, Yang Yang and Nitesh Chawla conducted their study on a subset of 728 MBA graduates, consisting of 74.5% men and 25.5% women, from a top U.S. business school in the classes of 2006 and 2007. They analyzed 4.5 million anonymous email correspondences from the study group and measured post-graduation job placement success by pay and level of authority. The study concluded that social networks do, in fact, affect post-graduation job placement, but also reveal the need for women to have a more complex systematic approach to networking than men. While men benefit from being central in their MBA student network, as opposed to having a large-scale network, women's ability to land executive positions post-MBA not only required them to be central in their student networks, but required "an inner circle of close female contacts." Despite having similar qualifications in work and education, females are unable to reach the highest levels of authority within their field of work without an inner circle of female contacts. What makes female dominated networks particularly beneficial for women is the variety of information readily available and accessible to its members that directly improve the likelihood of getting hired or advancing within one's career. "Being central puts dispersed information in ready reach," says Uzzi. For women, who often face cultural and political hurdles that men do not, having an all-female network means tapping into private information such as an organization's attitudes on female leadership and enhancing necessary interviewing or negotiation skills that increases their chances of landing a job, or a better position. It also equips women with the tools necessary to navigate questions from an interviewer regarding their plans to start a family. While this study does not suggest that success cannot be achieved without an inner circle of females, it does suggest that the benefits of a female network are much greater for women in executive positions. "Women who were in the top quartile of centrality and had a female-dominated inner circle of 1-3 women landed leadership positions that were 2.5 times higher in authority and pay than those of their female peers lacking this combination," said Uzzi. Having a female dominated network has proven benefits, but how can women who may have not already established one, find a group of supportive women? In a recent Forbes article, Founder and CEO, Shelley Zalis, shared her stance on women supporting other women and how it inspired her to create The Female Quotient, formerly the Girl's Lounge, where corporate women can network and activate change. Zalis has always believed in "the power of the pack" and learned very early on that women are more successful when they collaborate rather than compete. Over six years ago, she started her company, the Girl's Lounge, a pop-up experience at conferences for women to connect and collaborate. Today, it has transformed into The Female Quotient and has connected more than 17,500 corporate women and female entrepreneurs. While FQ serves to aid women, men are also welcome to get involved and collaborate, as well. Zalis believes that gender equality is not just a "women's" issue therefore transformation cannot be achieved without inspiring men to get on board. Although FQ provides women with opportunities to connect and expand their network, Zalis explains that there is more work to be done to establish a strong inner circle than simply shaking hands and handing out business cards. It is essential that women take the time to find people they admire and take the initiative to maintain communication. "To keep connections alive, they must be nurtured," said Zalis. In her article, she offers insight from female entrepreneurs and women in business on what it takes to maintain strong relationships. Gail Tifford, Chief Brand Officer of WW, formerly weight Watchers, explained that women need to take "work" out of "networking." Women tend to feel pressured into networking and see it as more of a tedious and stressful obligation rather than a meaningful opportunity. "Simply putting yourself in environments that give you the opportunity to meet with peers and get to know each other and share experiences can be a game changer," said Tifford. Erica Keswin, founder of the Spaghetti Project, believes that women need to prioritize relationship building even if that means scheduling time into your calendar to get together with friends, mentors and other important figures in your life. As these relationships develop, you will naturally develop a squad of likeminded women to bounce ideas off of and share opportunities among. The most important aspect of building a strong all-female group is to actively support other women. That means stepping out of the spotlight sometimes in order to let other women shine. Praise them for their work and ideas, speak highly of them to bosses and coworkers, and share the necessary advice and resources needed to help your fellow women succeed.