Since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, sexual discrimination in this country has been banned.
We now live in a country that encourages diversity on the workplace.
But are we doing enough to ensure that everyone, based upon qualifications and regardless of sex, has equal opportunities for success?
Who is really responsible for ensuring equal opportunity for success?
Recent research shows that women are less likely to have equal opportunity for professional success because they are less likely to be knowledgeable about opportunities compared to men.
Why is this occurring?
This is occurring because women are not making the same connections men are.
Because of homophily and colloquially, both men and women reach out to and connect with, often times, those of the same sex. Overall, the networks of women contain more women than they do men, while the networks of men contain more men than they do women.
Because of this, and considering the fact that men hold a majority of the senior level positions, women are less likely to not only hear about the positions, but they are also less likely to be connected with individuals who hold influence. By the time this news reached the social networks of men, given the make up of their networks, information about the opportunity is typically passed on to more men than women.
Point blank, women need to emulate the networks of their male counterparts to assist in the assurance of their personal, professional success. Women, the simple message here, the simple thing that could be standing in the way of your success, is the addition of more men in your social networks.
Both employers and employeers are responsible for ensuring equal opportunity for success.
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