Will Joining Frats Help Women Break The Glass Ceiling? - Stephen Viscusi on WCBS

Can Fraternities Help Women Break the Glass Ceiling?

In this CBS 2 News segment, workplace expert Stephen Viscusi weighs in on the growing movement at Yale University, where students are pushing to open fraternity membership to women. The argument goes beyond campus social life — advocates say that giving women access to fraternity networks could have a lasting impact on their professional careers. As Viscusi points out, people who share connections through fraternities and similar associations tend to advance faster in the workplace and get their foot in the door more easily.

The segment, reported by CBS 2's Elise Finch, explores how the traditionally exclusive, male-dominated fraternity system has long served as a pipeline to professional privilege — and whether breaking down those barriers at the college level could help women compete on a more level playing field long after graduation.

Why Professional Networks Start on Campus

Viscusi's perspective on this issue is informed by decades of watching how professional networks actually function in the real world. As an executive recruiter, he has seen firsthand that the relationships people form early in life — in college, in fraternities and sororities, and in early career roles — often become the most powerful professional connections they will ever have. These are the people who refer each other for jobs, make introductions to decision-makers, and vouch for each other when opportunities arise.

When women are excluded from these networks at the formative stage, the effects compound over an entire career. They enter the workforce with fewer built-in connections to the people who will eventually hold leadership positions, sit on hiring committees, and control access to the most competitive roles. Viscusi argues that leveling the playing field on campus is one of the most effective ways to address the networking gap that continues to hold women back in industries across the board.

Networking and Hiring in the Interiors Industry

In the contract furniture and interiors industry where The Viscusi Group operates, relationships are everything. Dealerships, manufacturers, and design firms rely heavily on referrals and personal connections when making hiring decisions — especially for senior sales, leadership, and client-facing roles. Candidates who have strong professional networks consistently have access to more opportunities and better compensation than those who rely solely on job postings and cold applications.

This is one of the reasons working with a specialized recruiter can be so valuable. A good recruiter acts as a network multiplier, connecting candidates with opportunities they would never find on their own and giving employers access to talent they would never reach through traditional channels.

About Stephen Viscusi and The Viscusi Group

Stephen Viscusi is the CEO and founder of The Viscusi Group, a retainer-based executive search firm that specializes in the interior furnishings industry. He started his career at Haworth and has spent over thirty years placing talent across the contract furniture, residential furnishings, and architectural products sectors. Viscusi is also the New York Times bestselling author of On the Job (Random House) and Bulletproof Your Job (HarperCollins), published in 18 languages worldwide.

On television, Viscusi has been a recurring workplace expert on NBC/Universal's Steve Harvey Show, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and NPR. ABC's Charles Gibson called him "America's Workplace Guru."

Contact us at stephen@viscusigroup.com or call (212) 979-5700.