The gender gap poses a major challenge in all professions and industries related to information systems. Despite many initiatives, the number of female workers in these fields is still low, raising the question of how the information systems itself could help narrow this gap. This paper builds on prior research that has shown that networking, interaction and role models contribute positively to the advancement of women. By focusing on female doctoral students in the information systems field,

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... explores how social media could contribute in this endeavor. Based on a questionnaire and systematic platform review, the paper identifies requirements for social networking sites (SNS) and presents an analysis of existing platforms. It reveals that a single platform fails to cover the requirements of the target group, therefore making it necessary to integrate different platforms. Recommendations are proposed to support the conecpt of a future platform for female doctoral students.