The existence of informal male networks, sometimes referred to as "old boys' networks", tends to exclude women from top jobs. More and more women have come to realize that they need professional contacts for a successful career and that they also needed each other’s support. Therfore many women are joining women-only networks or trying to create there own informal networks. The purpose is to establish useful contacts, learn new things, and be able to share their concerns with other women in the same situation. For some it gives an opportunity to find a mentor who can guide them. The aim of this bachelor thesis is to study if women’s lacking access to male networks is an obstacle for career advancement and to give an insight into women-only networks and their effectiveness to support women leaders and managers and increase women's representation in senior positions. The empirical findigs were conducted in Växjö, Sweden; in the networks “Fröken” and “Rotary”, and one women-only network in Linz, Austria; the BPW, “Business & Professional Women”.

<p>The existence of informal male networks, sometimes referred to as "old boys' networks", tends to exclude women from top jobs. More and more women have come to realize that they need professional contacts for a successful career and that they also needed each other’s support. Therfore many women are joining women-only networks or trying to create there own informal networks. The purpose is to establish useful contacts, learn new things, and be able to share their concerns with other women in the same situation. For some it gives an opportunity to find a mentor who can guide them.</p><p>The aim of this bachelor thesis is to study if women’s lacking access to male networks is an obstacle for career advancement and to give an insight into women-only networks and their effectiveness to support women leaders and managers and increase women's representation in senior positions. The empirical findigs were conducted in Växjö, Sweden; in the networks “Fröken” and “Rotary”, and one women-only network in Linz, Austria; the BPW, “Business & Professional Women”.</p>

Kvinnligt karriäravancemang i allmänhet, och kvinnors problem att nå organisatoriska toppositioner i synnerhet, är ett ämne som länge varit föremål för diskussion. Åsikterna om hur snedfördelningen ska åtgärdas går isär och har lett till heta debatter. Inte minst förslaget om lagstadgad kvotering i svenska styrelser har rört upp känslor och debatterats intensivt. Stiftelsen AllBright la 2013 fram en rapport som visade på att det finns fler med namnet Johan i svenska styrelser än det finns kvinnor. Detta uppmärksammades stort i flertalet media. Med grund i dessa diskussioner väcktes intresset att undersöka fenomenet kvinnligt karriäravancemang ur en ny synvinkel. Finns det andra medel för att lyfta upp fler kvinnor till de högsta nivåerna än kvotering? Efter funderingar och efterforskningar identifierade vi två fenomen som vi ansåg kunde ha denna potential; nätverket och mentorskapet. Syftet med studien är således att skapa förståelse för hur förekomsten av nätverk och mentorskap inverkar på kvinnors karriäravancemang. Då delar av studiens fokusområde undersökts i tidigare studier har en abduktiv ansats tillämpats. Teorierna institutionell teori, legitimitetsteori samt signaling theory har därmed fungerat som fundament för att finna mönster och tendenser som skulle kunna förklara nätverkets och mentorskapets premisser. Som ett led i studiens önskan om att skapa förståelse för fenomenet, har en kvalitativ undersökning genomförts. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in via semistrukturerade intervjuer och i en revisionsbaserad kontext, med fokus på kvinnliga delägare. Detta då dessa kvinnor nått branschens högsta skikt och därmed torde sitta inne med värdefulla tankar om kvinnligt avancemang, med grund i egna erfarenheter. Slutsatsen av denna studie är att nätverk och mentorskap, som isolerade fenomen, så väl som i en symbiotisk relation, har element som kan inverkar främjande på kvinnligt karriäravancemang. Nätverket kan vara en plats för adepten att hitta en passande mentor. Mentorskapet kan i sin tur ge adepten de redskap som krävs för att bygga upp värdefulla och karriärmässigt gynnsamma kontaktnät. Att göra kvinnor uppmärksamma på detta och uppmuntra en användning av fenomenet i ett uttalat karriärfrämjande syfte, torde kunna vara en bra grund för kvinnligt avancemang. / Female career advancement in general and women’s issues to achieve organizational top position in particular, is a subject that has been under discussion for a long time. Opinions on how the imbalance should be corrected differ greatly and have led to heated debates. Not least, the proposal for a legal quota in Swedish boards has stirred up emotions. In 2013, a foundation named AllBright published a report that showed that there are more people with the name Johan in Swedish boards than there are women. This received great attention in most media. Based on this discussion aroused our interest to investigate the phenomenon of female career advancement from a new perspective. Are there other means to lift more women to the highest position than quotas? After thought and research, we identified two phenomena that we felt could have this potential; network and mentorship. The purpose of the study is thus to create an understanding of how the presence of networking and mentoring impact on women’s career advancement. Certain parts of the focus area have been examined in previous studies, why an abdicative approach has been applied. The theories, institutional theory, legitimacy theory and signaling theory has therefore acted as the foundation for finding patterns and trends that would explain the network and mentoring premises. As part of the study's desire to create an understanding of the phenomenon, a qualitative study was conducted. The empirical data were collected through semi-structured interviews in an audit-based context. The hierarchical structure was considered to clarify the advancement patterns. Furthermore, the focus was exclusively on the female partner. This is because these women achieved the industry's highest layer and thus should be in possession of valuable thoughts on women's advancement, arising out of personal experience. The conclusion of this study is that networking and mentoring, as isolated phenomena, as well as in a mutually symbiotic relationship, has elements that can affect promotion of women's career advancement. The network can be a place for the mentee to find a mentor. Mentoring can in turn give the adept the tools needed to build valuable and career-wise favorable contacts. Making women aware of this and encourage the use of the phenomenon in a clear career promotion, could be a good basis for female advancement.

Revisionsbranschen karaktäriseras av en hierarkisk organisation med tydliga karriärsteg för medarbetare att följa. För att nå den högsta positionen, partner, är en betydande faktor att medarbetare har en viss storlek på sin kundstock och därmed kan generera intäkter till byrån. Traditionellt har revisionsyrket dominerats av män, men de senaste decennierna har allt fler kvinnor etablerat sig i branschen vilket resulterat i en jämn könsfördelning. På de högre positionerna, såsom partner, dominerar trots det fortfarande männen. Jämställdhet är ett omdebatterat område och förändringar sker kontinuerligt. Syftet med studien är därför att skapa en djupare förståelse för orsakerna till kvinnors underrepresentation på partnernivå inom revisionsbranschen. Vidare kommer det undersökas om det finns skillnader mellan storstads- och småstadskontor som påverkar kvinnors möjlighet att göra karriär inom revisionsbranschen. Den teoretiska referensramen består dels av en grundläggande beskrivning av revisonsyrket och dess organisation, dels av genusteorier som kan förklara varför kvinnor inte återses i samma utsträckning som män på toppbefattningar i arbetslivet. Genom intervjuer med kvinnliga auktoriserade revisorer från småstads- respektive storstadskontor framkommer det att det finns goda möjligheter, oavsett kön, att avancera i karriären. Vår studie tyder på att flera av de teorier som förklarar kvinnors underrepresentation på högre positioner, såsom glastak och homosocialitet, inte upplevs förekomma i någon större omfattning i praktiken, istället är det till stor del är en tidsfråga innan även toppositionerna inom revisionsbranschen är könsbalanserade. Den främsta förklaringen till att kvinnor hamnar efter män i karriären tycks ändå vara att de är föräldralediga längre samt att deras karriärsambitioner förändras i samband med bildandet av familj. Den tydligaste skillnaden som framgår mellan storstads- och småstadskontor är att kvinnor på småstadskontor har begränsad tillgång till kvinnliga förebilder och kvinnliga mentorer vilket kan ha en negativ påverkan på deras karriär. / The audit industry is characterized by a hierarchical organization with clear career steps for employees to follow. In order to reach the highest position, partner, it is important that the employee has a certain number of clients and thereby can generate revenues for the agency. Traditionally, the audit profession has been dominated by men, but in recent decades an increasing number of women have started to work in the industry, which has resulted in a balanced gender distribution. Although, in the higher positions, such as partner, men still dominate. Gender equality is a debated issue and changes occur continuously. The aim of this study is therefore to gain a deeper understanding of the causes of women’s underrepresentation at the partner level in the audit industry. Furthermore, it will be examined if there are any differences between small city offices and large city offices that affect women's career opportunities in the audit industry. The theoretical framework consists partly of a basic description about the audit profession and its organization, and partly by gender theories that can explain why women are not seen at the top positions of the organizations in the same extent as men. Through interviews with female authorized public accountants from small city offices as well as large city offices, it is found that there are good opportunities, regardless of gender, to advance in the career. Our study indicates that several of the theories that explain women's underrepresentation in higher positions, such as glass ceiling and homosociality, are not perceived as something that occurs to a significant extent in practice, instead it is largely a matter of time before the top positions in the audit industry are gender balanced as well. Still, the main reason for women ending up beneath men in their careers seems to be that they are on parental leave longer and that their ambitions for career advancement changes when they have children. The most obvious difference between small city offices and large city offices is that women in small town offices have limited access to female role models and female mentors, which may adversely affect their careers.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how mentorships can impact women’s career development. Previous research shows that there is an inequality gap between men and women on management positions and the aim for this research paper is to see if mentorships could help close this gap and make the top-level management more gender equal.   The Swedish banking industry is interesting to research due to its overall equality in the organisation, but extreme inequality in the top of the hierarchy. Sweden is one of the most equal countries in the EU but are still struggling to eliminate structural discrimination from their organisations. Mentorships has through previous studies shown to be a helpful tool for women to progress in their careers and increase gender balance in workplaces.   To be able to answer the research questions and fulfil the purpose of this research a qualitative research approach was applied. Five semi-structured interviews was held in order to gather empirical data. The participants were women in managerial positions within one of Sweden’s largest banks. Because of a confidentiality agreement, the name of the bank will not be revealed but rather be referred to as The Bank.   The findings of this research show that both formal and informal mentorships can be used as a tool for women to progress in their career. Mentorships give women the support they need to believe in their own worth, they also get access to new parts of organisations that before has been unattainable for them and get an insight in the political games within an organisation.

The underrepresentation of female executives is a well studied phenomenon, despite this awareness, the Swedish labor market continues to be characterized by segregation on its hierarchical positions, where females who aspire for executive roles, do not reach the same career advancement as males. When trying to find answers to female underrepresentation in executive roles, evidence points to a shortage of networks that are deemed appropriate for such career advancement. Using qualitative research, this study explores the perceived value of formal networks among female leaders in the tech industry and their influence on the career advancement of women, considering the challenges posed by male-dominated cultures and gender biases. The conclusion of this study acknowledges that the underrepresentation of women in executive positions may be attributed to a scarcity of informal networks, where homosocial behavior restricts female participation within such networks. The findings demonstrate that due to exclusion from the informal sphere, women actively engage in formal networks. Womens formal networks offer various psychosocial and instrumental advantages, and these benefits are interconnected and mutually reinforcing, ultimately promoting women's professional growth. The findings underscore the significance of comprehending the interplay between organizational culture, gender, and network dynamics to cultivate diverse and inclusive networks that enhance female representation and facilitate knowledge sharing.

The purpose of this qualitative research was to acknowledge the gap in literature concerning the relationship between female leadership in a Swedish context with impostor syndrome. The focus was on analyzing whether impostor syndrome has an impact on the career progression of female leaders and how organizations can either exacerbate or mitigate the effects of suffering from impostor syndrome in the workplace.  In order to reach a conclusion aligned with the purpose and to respond to the conducted research questions, six semi-structured interviews were conducted with women in different leadership positions, operating within different companies and industries in Sweden. The interviews along with the theoretical framework allowed the authors to perform a thematic analysis in order to structure and analyze the gathered information.  The empirical data that was collected provided sufficient evidence for the authors to draw conclusions with regards to the posed research questions. It was concluded that impostor syndrome is a phenomenon that was frequently experienced among the female leaders, which could be confirmed in the literature. It could also be concluded that this was not a factor that had hindered them in their career progression. Moreover, the organizational support systems could be concluded to have a great impact in how the effects of impostor syndrome could be mitigated or further exacerbated.

The purpose of this study is to fill the gap identified in how women perceive their opportunities to advance in their careers as auditors in San José, Costa Rica. This study also seeks to get answers to what it is like to work as a woman in a male-dominated industry in the chosen country. Design/methodology/approach: This essay has been carried out using an abductive research approach. Three research questions have thereby been answered with the support of 11 semi- structured interviews with women in roles as auditors at various independent audit firms in San José, Costa Rica. 10 of the interviews were held at the respondent’s respective office and one of the interviews were held digitally. Findings: The study has resulted in women working as auditors in San José, Costa Rica, experiencing discrimination in the workplace. Various factors that underlie discrimination have been identified and these factors include culture and how the men see themselves in their professional role. A factor that has also been shown to have a large and almost decisive influence on the degree of discrimination and the opportunities for women to climb in their careers is the size of the audit firm. The bigger the audit firm, the more discrimination the women experience and the worse opportunities to climb in their career. Research implications: The leading implications are that women's opportunities to advance in their careers and be able to feel secure in their work as auditors in San José, Costa Rica, must be given further attention and be investigated further. This is because the situation that exists today is not sustainable and in order to develop the industry and to even out the skewness that exists between the genders in the country, this problem must be taken care of. This study can contribute as a basis for future research in the field to further investigate the factors that are causal factors for the reality for women in the industry that the study identified. Originality/value: This essay studies the topic of women's opportunities in the audit industry in Costa Rica, which has not been previously explored. Through unfiltered collected data from first-hand sources, the results generated are of high value and could be a good basis for future research within the area.

Background/problem: Historically, the audit and finance industry have been dominated by men but today the majority of the co-workers are women. Despite this progress, women in both industries are still underrepresented in top positions and are still facing problems in their career advancement. Purpose: The aim of the study is to describe and explain similarities and differences between women’s experienced career opportunities in the audit and finance industry. Method: 12 hypotheses have been derived from previous studies and theories. The hypotheses were tested using telephone surveys with 79 women from the audit industry and 81 women from the finance industry. Conclusion: Women in the accounting profession experience that they have better career opportunities than women in the finance industry. The main factors that influence women in the audit industry are age, family, health, previous working experience and promotion. Where as in the finance industry age, previous working experience and ambition are the primary factors that influence women’s career opportunities. / Bakgrund/problem: Revisions- och finansbranschen har historiskt sett varit mansdominerade branscher men är idag yrken där en övervägande del är kvinnor. Trots utvecklingen är kvinnor inom båda branscherna underrepresenterade på toppositioner och många kvinnor möter hinder för att göra karriär. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva och förklara likheter och skillnader mellan kvinnors upplevda karriärmöjligheter i revisions- och finansbranschen. Metod: 12 hypoteser har härletts utifrån tidigare studier och forskning. Hypoteserna har testats genom telefonenkäter med hjälp av 79 kvinnor från revisionsbranschen och 81 kvinnor från finansbranschen. Slutsats: Kvinnor i revisionsbranschen upplever att de har något bättre karriärmöjligheter än kvinnor i finansbranschen. De främsta faktorerna som påverkar kvinnors karriärmöjligheter i revisionsbranschen är ålder, familj, hälsa, arbetslivserfarenhet och befordran. I finansbranschen är ålder,arbetslivserfarenhet och ambitionsnivå de primära faktorerna för finanskvinnors karriärmöjligheter.

Problem för kvinnor att nå organisatoriska toppositioner har sedan en längre tid varit ett omdebatterat ämne i Sverige. Enligt tidigare forskning ses den svenska revisionsbranschen som mansdominerad där maskulinitet är inbyggd i branschens struktur. Statistiska Centralbyrån visar genom statistik att det råder en jämn könsfördelning för revisorsyrket i Sverige idag. Dock visar tidigare forskning att inom revisionsbranschen tenderar kvinnor att dominera positioner i hierarkins botten och män tenderar i stället att dominera positioner i hierarkins topp. Studiens syfte är att förstå mentorskapets och det sociala nätverkets betydelse för kvinnliga revisorers karriäravancemang. Studien har genomförts genom en kvalitativ metod med ett abduktivt tillvägagångssätt och med ett hermeneutiskt synsätt, för att på så sätt öka förståelsen kring studiens ämnesområde. Ett antal teorier och begrepp ligger till grund för studiens analys av det empiriska materialet som har samlats in via semistrukturerade intervjuer. Slutsatsen av denna studie är att mentorskap och sociala nätverk är två distinkta faktorer som påverkar kvinnliga revisorers karriäravancemang positivt. Mentorskap är en ensidig kunskapskälla där kunskap överförs från en individ till en annan. Ett socialt nätverk är i stället en ömsesidig kunskapskälla där kunskap överförs ömsesidigt mellan olika individer. Både mentorskap och sociala nätverk är två faktorer som bidrar till att de kvinnliga revisorer får ökad kompetens och erfarenhet vilket i sin tur leder till karriäravancemang. / The problem for women to reach organizational top positions has been a topic of debate for a long time in Sweden. According to previous studies the Swedish auditing industry is seen as male-dominated where masculinity is a part of the structure. Nowadays statistics shows that there is an even gender distribution in the Swedish auditing profession. Although, previous studies show that women in the auditing industry tend to dominate positions at the bottom of the hierarchy and men tend to dominate positions at the top of the hierarchy. The purpose of this study is to understand the importance of mentoring and social network that female auditors have. This study has been conducted through a qualitative method with an abductive approach which contributes to a hermeneutic interpretation. This increases the understanding of the examined area. A set of theories and concepts lies as a basis for the analytical area of the empirical material that has been collected through semi structured interviews. The conclusion of this study is that mentoring, and a social network are two distinguished factors which have a positive effect on female career advancement. Mentoring is a knowledge source that transfers knowledge from one individual to another. A social network is a mutual source which transfers knowledge among different individuals. Mentoring and social networks are factors that contribute female auditors getting an increase in competence and experience which leads to career advancement.