Networking to Nowhere

Name: Networking to Nowhere
Price: 49.95 AUD
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ISBN: 9780520404304

How Gender Inequality Persists in Tech

Ethel Mickey

$49.95

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

University of California Press
16 June 2026

Social groups; Gender studies: women; Social & cultural anthropology; Personnel & human resources management

Why does gender inequality persist in tech—even in workplaces that invest in fixing it?

In Networking to Nowhere, sociologist Ethel Mickey uncovers the paradox at the heart of modern tech culture: Networking is hailed as the key to opportunity, yet it systematically works against women. Drawing on ethnographic research inside a top tech firm, Mickey reveals how ""ideal"" networking practices like informal referrals, after-hours schmoozing, and bro-bonding over sports reinforce old boys' clubs that exclude women and people of color. Women, encouraged to lean into formal events, conferences, and diversity programs, often find these efforts go unrewarded, networking them to nowhere.

By exposing how gendered expectations, invisible cultural codes, and even well-meaning corporate DEI programs can deepen inequality, this book offers a powerful new framework for understanding gender and organizations in the contemporary economy—and what it will take to chart a new path forward.

By: Ethel Mickey
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9780520404304
ISBN 10: 0520404300
Pages: 274
Publication Date: 16 June 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Ethel Mickey is Assistant Professor of Sociology at California State University, San Bernardino and a faculty affiliate with Stanford University's VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab.