Networking and identity politics are two terms I avoid.  They ooze bullshit.  But according to a piece in The Age this morning,the two terms may be related. 

The author refers to article ‘Why Women Build Less Powerful Relationships Than Men’.  It aimed to address ‘an additional layer’ –

….by looking at personal hesitation, relational morality and gendered modesty.  And, even more specifically, women who feel uncomfortable with the exploitative nature of networking, and women who often network with lower level peers due to lack of confidence in their own network contribution…

Later the author suggests that networking for women should be –

….curated in a way that is well informed, thoughtful and empathetic to women’s needs instead of the ‘utilitarian or instrumental’ events we’ve historically had to sit through….focussing on one-on-one relationships rather than larger team bonding exercises, which can be less intimidating to form and are more likely to be pursued with purpose.

As it seems to me, the inarticulate premise is that at least when it comes to networking, women are different to men, and have special needs.

I do not subscribe to that view, which looks at best unfortunate to me.

And I would like to get the views on ‘gendered modesty’ from Kylie Minogue or Taylor Swift.

Identity politics.