There are some studies that try to dive into this often repeated anecdotal stuff you are reading here. Turns out it was observed frequent enough to garner some

There are some studies that try to dive into this often repeated anecdotal stuff you are reading here. Turns out it was observed frequent enough to garner some actual research! One study found a key perpetuator in divergent career growth along gender lines was was an observation that women had support networks that consisted of other women, who were also less likely to be in management positions. Both the men and women that had professional and support networks consisting of men who were more likely to be in managerial roles found their contributions to be matched with greater career growth. Wish I could find that study so you could make your own conclusions and read theirs. FWIW it kept my attention because the sample size and time period was decent.