When Gender Stereotypes Prevent Women from Networking Efficiently

Abstract

While women network as much as men, they seem to benefit less from their networking activities, and no explanation has been provided to explain this gender gap so far. In the present paper, I argue that women network less efficiently than men because they renounce some networking actions for fear of being misjudged. I show that the existence of a specific stereotype painting women as able and willing to use their power of attraction to manipulate men makes certain networking strategies appear risky. In particular, I argue that women expect that actions aimed at deepening and strengthening relationships with their male supervisors will reflect negatively on their image. For this reason, they are less likely to engage in those actions, at the cost of valuable relationships and potential career rewards. I test this model in a pre-registered lab experiment based on vignettes, and find partial support for it, and interesting results about men.