Do women reap lower benefits from networking in the labor market compared to men?

• In Event: 2451 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 24. Social Networks

Abstract

Social networks inform the job search process at various stages. Yet empirical evidence as to how much they matter, and if their impact is uniform or not across various social groups is often contradictory. We argue that this is a result of lacking a comprehensive framework that highlights the roles that networks play at three stages of the job search process: network composition, tie-activation, and the signaling value of referrals. Using longitudinal data for the entire Berlin labor market between 2000 and 2014 we show that network composition and the presence of former coworkers at receiving firms have a differential impact on women’s and men’s wages. While these analyses are preliminary, such big data approaches has already proven to be a promising new avenue to examine the impact of networks on the job search process. Developing this work further, we plan to describe how network composition changes as individuals develop their careers, and contrast other social groups’ outcomes, such as Turkish immigrants to non- immigrants.

Authors

• Kinga Reka Makovi, New York University, Abu Dhabi

• Malte Reichelt, New York University Abu Dhabi