The Future is Female? Evaluating The Utility of Female Professional Networking Organizations

Author

Lily ArbuckleFollow

Date of Graduation

5-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Communication

Advisor/Mentor

Walker, Kasey

Committee Member/Reader

Allen, Myria

Committee Member/Second Reader

Yang, Song

Abstract

In today’s competitive global market, harnessing the individual strengths of all organizational members is crucial for success. Organizations across all industries need diverse representation and contributions. However, women and other groups continue to be disadvantaged, lacking the same representation that majority and advantaged groups enjoy. The prevalence of gender bias in the workplace not only hinders professional success for women, but also the success of their organizations. To combat some of these issues, networking organizations are forming to help support women through mentorship and relationship building. Most studies in the academic sphere investigate female networking organizations at the professional level. Little research examines similar organizations at the collegiate level. This study argues for the creation of a university-wide female networking organization geared toward freshmen women. By examining the lifespan of a failed collegiate female networking organization using the autoethnographic approach and a close review of the literature that does exist, this study creates a guide for best practices in founding a female collegiate networking organization.

Keywords

Feminist Communication, Social Network Analysis, Gender Bias

Citation

Arbuckle, L. (2022). The Future is Female? Evaluating The Utility of Female Professional Networking Organizations. Communication Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/commuht/3