Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9283-4373
Date Available
5-9-2027
Year of Publication
2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Business and Economics
Department/School/Program
Management
Faculty
Ajay Mehra
Abstract
Gender homophily—the tendency for individuals to form connections with others of the same gender—is a common feature of interpersonal networks in organizations. While network connections with high-status individuals are advantageous, the persistent gender status gap in organizations often limits the benefits women gain from forming homophilous ties with other women. I argue that these homophilous connections come with a reputational cost, particularly in terms of leadership perceptions, and explore how observers perceive women’s gender homophily.
In the first essay, I analyzed data from a U.S.-based retail bank to examine the impact of gender homophily on leadership reputations. The findings reveal that men with moderately gender-homophilous networks receive the most leadership nominations, whereas women benefit more from gender-heterophilous networks. The second essay uses a vignette-based experiment to investigate cognitive responses to women’s gender homophily. Among male observers, concerns about gender-based favoritism mediate the relationship between gender homophily and leadership attributions. The third essay explores the extent to which individuals overestimate gender homophily in real-world workplace networks. The results indicate that women’s gender homophily is perceived more overestimated by others, while men’s gender homophily is relatively underestimated.
Taken together, these findings suggest that the implications of gender homophily differ between men and women from the perspective of network cognition. This discrepancy highlights the enduring influence of gender-related cognitive biases and provides insight into the reputational costs women face due to gender homophily.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.210
Recommended Citation
Kang, Diane, "Gender Homophily in Workplace Networks: A Network Cognition Perspective" (2025). Theses and Dissertations--Business Administration. 10.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/busadmin_etds/10
