Successful STEM Women of Color Must Network Differently

Sherine Obare

OAI: oai:igi-global.com:256072 • DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-4858-5.ch004

Overcoming barriers for women of color in STEM can be eased not only by what you know, but rather by who you know. Women are always encouraged to network, but often are not given the full instructions on what the outcome of the network could or should be. Seldom are they mentored to network in ways that they are viewed as contributors who bring impact and value to the discipline. The purpose of this chapter is to provide some guidelines from lessons learned about networking not only through the author's experience as a faculty member moving through the ranks, but as a university administrator, and a leader in a national organization. The chapter will have examples of various ways that women of color can contribute through networking to create opportunities to make significant impact to their discipline. The chapter will also reference some key books and articles that share some of the most pertinent work being done.

Gender & Diversity Social Sciences and Humanities Gender and Diversity Science and Engineering