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Research Article
Open Access

Network Recruitment and the Glass Ceiling: Evidence from Two Firms

Roberto M. Fernandez, Brian Rubineau
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences March 2019, 5 (3) 88-102; DOI: https://doi.org/10.7758/RSF.2019.5.3.05
Roberto M. Fernandez
aWilliam F. Pounds Professor in Management and professor of organization studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management
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Brian Rubineau
cAssociate professor of organizational behavior at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University
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Abstract

Does network recruitment contribute to the glass ceiling? We use administrative data from two companies to answer the question. In the presence of gender homophily, recruitment through employee referrals can disadvantage women when an old boys’ network is in place. We calculate the segregating effects of network recruitment across multiple job levels in the two firms. If network recruitment is a factor, the segregating impact should disadvantage women more at higher levels. We find this pattern, but also find that network recruitment is a desegregating force overall. It promotes women’s representation strongly at all levels, but less so at higher levels. This article shows how administrative data can be used to tackle the complex problem of gender inequality in organizations to counter the glass ceiling.

  • glass ceiling
  • gender segregation
  • network recruitment
  • administrative data
  • © 2019 Russell Sage Foundation. Fernandez, Roberto M., and Brian Rubineau. 2019. “Network Recruitment and the Glass Ceiling: Evidence from Two Firms.” RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 5(3): 88–102. DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2019.5.3.05. Direct correspondence to: Roberto M. Fernandez at robertof{at}mit.edu, MIT Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Room E62–387, 100 Main St., Cambridge, MA 02142.

Open Access Policy: RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences is an open access journal. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

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RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences: 5 (3)
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
Vol. 5, Issue 3
1 Mar 2019
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Network Recruitment and the Glass Ceiling: Evidence from Two Firms
Roberto M. Fernandez, Brian Rubineau
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences Mar 2019, 5 (3) 88-102; DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2019.5.3.05

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Network Recruitment and the Glass Ceiling: Evidence from Two Firms
Roberto M. Fernandez, Brian Rubineau
RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences Mar 2019, 5 (3) 88-102; DOI: 10.7758/RSF.2019.5.3.05
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    • THE GLASS CEILING AND NETWORK RECRUITMENT
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Keywords

  • glass ceiling
  • gender segregation
  • network recruitment
  • administrative data

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