This article analyses the design of an online mentoring platform—for women by women—in a high‐technology, male‐dominated UK industry: aviation and aerospace. Based on interviews with professionals and managers, we analyse the journey of the women involved and contribute to the understanding of the role of women (individually and collectively) in challenging gendered norms in a male‐dominated industry through the theoretical lenses of ‘critical actors’ and ‘critical mass’. We combine these concepts, usually seen as mutually exclusive, to explain the success of the online platform. We show how a small number of self‐selected critical actors represented, listened and responded to the needs of the women in their industry, thus achieving the substantive representation of women. We also argue that while critical actors were key to its inception, the mentoring platform now needs a critical mass of women to ensure its success.

中文翻译：

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通过女性的实质性代表来挑战男性的统治地位：在线女性指导平台的案例

本文分析了在高技术，男性主导的英国行业（航空和航天）中女性为女性提供的在线指导平台的设计。基于对专业人士和管理人员的访谈，我们分析了相关女性的经历，并通过“关键角色”的理论视角，帮助女性（个人和集体）理解挑战男性主导的行业中的性别规范。和“临界质量”。我们结合通常被视为互斥的这些概念来解释在线平台的成功。我们展示了少数自我选择的关键角色是如何代表，倾听并响应妇女在其行业中的需求的，从而实现了妇女的实质性代表。我们还争辩说，尽管关键角色是其成立的关键，