The Support System Is Shrinking. Here's How to Build Your Own

If you've been paying attention, you've noticed something shifting.

Women's formal networking events, sponsored conferences, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and other support systems that help to level the playing field are quietly disappearing. DEI programs are being scaled back. Budgets are drying up. Support that felt like a given a few years ago is no longer guaranteed.

We felt this close to home recently when a colleague had to cancel what would have been her 10th women's conference in New York City. The need was still there. But the sponsors were gone.

What does this mean for your career, and what can you do about it right now?

Women's networks were never about exclusion. They were about access.

Access to information, to career opportunities, to sponsors and mentors, to each other. When those formal structures shrink, that access becomes more valuable than ever.

The good news? This isn't the end of women's networks. It's a shift.

They're moving out of the org chart and into smaller, more trusted spaces: dinners, retreats, co-working communities, tight-knit groups that meet regularly and actually know each other.

And what we've seen again and again in our work: when networks get smaller, they get stronger. More honest conversations. More real support. More of the introductions that actually move careers forward.

So what should you do right now?

Build a micro-network. Don't wait for your company to create the structure. Pull together a small group of 4 to 6 women, ideally across different industries or career stages, and meet consistently. Keep it focused. This is where real clarity and momentum happen.

Share information openly. Talk with colleagues and friends about roles, salary ranges, hiring trends, and who's hiring. Information gaps slow women down. The difference between a "network" and a real community is this kind of honesty.

Sponsor, don't just support. Make the warm introduction. Put her name in the room when she's not in it. Advocacy is nice. Sponsorship is what actually moves careers forward.

This is why we built EvolveMe: to create the kind of intentional community where women do the real work of evolving their careers together. The accountability and connection that come from a small, trusted group? We hear it all the time from the women we work with. It changes everything.

The environment is shifting. Your career doesn't have to stall because of it. The women who intentionally build and leverage their networks right now will be the ones who keep moving forward, no matter what's happening at the organizational level.

Because one thing hasn't changed: you still need visibility and connection to advance. And you don't have to build it alone.

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Linda Lautenberg and Judy Schoenberg are the co-founders of EvolveMe, a career growth consultancy in the NYC area. They work with women navigating career transitions and with companies investing in their people.