Reply #7: I belong to a couple professional women's organization in my field (federal gov/engineering) - [View All]

[haele]

They're very good about mentoring the under-25 set and the younger worker-bee types, but once they're "in leadership roles",it's a bit different. If you're not a loyal soldier or a BFF type, or if you're in a job where there's not a lot of socialization, it's difficult to get any hints or support that is specifically structured for women working for women.
Luncheons where the speakers go on about "finding time for you", "giving back to the community" or my favorite "Keeping your spiritual core" (always Xtian and "family role" based,for some reason - very isolating for a socialist pagan retired Navy Chief like me); Makeovers for less fortunate women days, and Marathons are not really what I like to participate in. And the majority of the women who go to such events are claiming to be there to "network" but ultimately hang out with their friends and maybe be seen by others.
I know I tend to network better with and work better with men - at my age, they're more concerned with how well I can do and handle my tasking. Women at my age tend to be more concerned with competition and keeping their options open if they want to jump ship.

I have noticed in fields that have more women in management positions, there are a lot more mentors out there. I suspect it is because the women in management are more secure with their positions in the power structure and their ability to keep working in a volatile job market than they are in fields where there is an established perception of male hierarchy.

Haele