Marjolein Dennissen

44 The Herculean task of diversity networks Findings For every diversity network, I explore how board members frame their goals and the activities they organize in order to realize these goals. I analyze different discourses that the board members draw on in their constructions of the value of their networks. An overview of the main characteristics of the different diversity networks can be found in Appendix 4. Women’s network The women’s network is organized explicitly for women in middle management positions. According to the network’s annual plan, the network is an “informal network for ambitious women”. The board members primarily construct the notion of gender equality as numerical, aiming for more women in higher managerial positions. For this purpose, the network wants to support the career development of what they refer to as “ ambitious women”. In order to facilitate women’s career advancement, the board members organize several events and activities, such as a mentoring program, round table sessions, and an annual event in cooperation with women in senior management positions. The main thread throughout these events is to provide members with the necessary tools for career advancement and professional empowerment. The board members emphasize “professional” activities and assert that women themselves are responsible for their own career: We have to stop whining about the glass ceiling. And tut-tut, we are so pitiable. (…) You can do a lot yourself. You can make it open to discussion, you can make it visible, you know. (Kate) Board member Kate takes issue with the concept of the “glass ceiling”. Instead of addressing organizational barriers, she states that women are not “pitiable” but agentic. I distinguish a discourse of individual career responsibility which frames career development as a choice and constructs women as responsible for their career advancement by learning the rules of the game (see Appendix 3 for more illustrative quotes). The board members adopt hegemonic male models of success and networking: You really want to apply for [a higher managerial position] because you want to grow, then you have to start thinking about how to put that in your network: call out what you can do. Men do that too. (Betty) According to Betty, women have to “really know what [they] want, and what [they] can do” if they want to further their careers in the way men do. In line with the equip the women approach (Meyerson and Kolb, 2000), women are the ones who should assimilate and become