In the second half of the twentieth century, U.S. advocates for workplace equity popularized the term and concept of networking as part of a larger social capital lexicon—which also includes terms such as glass ceiling, role model, mentoring, and gatekeeper—serving to identify and address the problems barring non-dominant groups from professional success.
In the latter half of the twentieth century, U.S. advocates for workplace equality popularized networking as part of a broader social capital framework that encompasses concepts like glass ceiling, role model, mentorship, and gatekeeper, with the goal of identifying and addressing barriers to professional advancement for underrepresented groups.