Events

SPEAKER

My research addresses the question of why women are less likely than men to occupy brokerage positions in informal social networks. In my prior work, I introduced a novel theoretical perspective—the construal approach—to understanding gender differences in returns to brokerage. Using this theoretical perspective, my previous research has shown that women benefit less than men from brokerage due to gender stereotypes, which affect how they perceive themselves and how they are perceived by others in this role. In this talk, I will share research that further advances the construal perspective by illuminating the role of construal in women’s networking behaviour and, accordingly, the circumstances under which they are likely to attain brokerage roles. I highlight the critical role of women’s sense of belonging in contexts where they are underrepresented and negatively stereotyped, and how this shapes women’s social networks. In Study 1, I examine the friendship networks of MBA students, showing that the more women feel a sense of belonging at the beginning of their tenure, the more likely they are to occupy brokerage positions in the friendship network six months later. In contrast, men’s sense of belonging is unrelated to their subsequent friendship networks. I replicate this in an online experiment, showing that women (but not men) who are assigned to think about a time when they belonged (vs. did not belong) indicate more comfort with occupying a brokerage position. In Study 3, examining a second cohort of MBA students, I demonstrate that engaging in networking behaviours mediates the link between women’s (but not men’s) early sense of belonging and their subsequent friendship network brokerage. I conclude the talk by offering insights into future directions arising from this research, highlighting opportunities, limitations, and open questions.