Gender and professional e-networks: Implications of gender heterophily on job search facilitation and outcomes

A lack of access to high stature, typically male, professional contacts and the social capital they provide is one likely barrier to women's career advancement. The increasing use of electronic professional networking sites is making these high value contacts more accessible and changing the composition characteristics of people's professional networks; yet limited research explores e-networks in professional contexts. This study examines the role of gender heterophily on e-network facilitation and, in turn, on a set of job-search related outcomes through a survey of full-time, salaried LinkedIn users. We find that women's e-networks are characterized by greater gender heterophilly than men's. E-networks comprised of high proportions of ties with men enabled individuals to experience shorter job search duration and attain higher salaries. These effects were partially explained by the increased likelihood of receiving direct assistance from a network contact to secure new employment (i.e. network facilitation).