An Old Girls’ Club

I’ve been thinking off and on about an excellent post I read by Kenia Perez on Daily Worth, a website featuring a “free, daily email about finance for women.” Kenia’s post asks why there is no Old Girls’ Club. Men often get together for non-career-related reasons (watching or playing sports, poker etc.) and build casual relationships that sometimes help them in their careers later down the road. The purpose of their get-togethers is not to get ahead, but they are not shy about helping one another out, or about asking for each other’s help, should the opportunity arise.

Women, on the other hand, do not seem to do this as often. We either develop strong, intimate relationships that we wouldn’t dare abuse for career purposes, or join networking and professional organizations solely for these purposes.

I even find myself compartmentalizing my life. Professional contacts in one bin, personal contacts in another. Contacts are not used for purposes outside of their bin. Why? I have worked with some amazing people (men and women) who I would love to maintain contact with, even if our professional lives do not cross again. And I have some good friends who could offer great advice on various aspects of a career. Why do I struggle to keep them separate?

On a different vein, how would an Old Girls’ Club start? Again, the purpose of this kind of group would not be career development, but some other common interest. Hopefully it would be a collection of women from different ages, walks of life, careers, etc. What bonds us? A few things that come to mind are books, great TV shows (Grey’s Anatomy, anyone?), cooking, art, exercise and for me, dance.

So, ladies, let us go forth and gather around common interests. And let’s not be afraid to ask for each other’s advice, contacts or help when the opportunity presents itself.

Let us create an Old Girls’ Club!