Women at work are often told to connect with high-status people to get ahead. However new research from Carnegie Mellon in both China and the US shows that this strategy can backfire for women.
On average, women face challenges at work – they’re less likely to be in management, get less credit for their work, and aren’t as valued for their expertise as men. The usual advice is for women to connect with high-status individuals, thinking it will help them catch up to men in terms of status.
Building your network
Connecting with high-status people can be helpful for two reasons. First, these connections can provide useful information and resources to help women succeed. Second, the people in our networks shape how others see us. So, having a network with high-status contacts should make people think more highly of us. But for women, it turns out that having high-status connections can actually make them lose status.
This finding is surprising because past research mainly focused on men and assumed the same rules apply to women. The researchers looked at how people view an individual’s network and its effects, considering the different perceptions based on gender roles.
The study involved nearly 2,800 people in China and the US. They found that, compared to women with ties to lower-status contacts, women connected to high-status people got less respect and admiration from others in the group. These women were also seen as more dominant, which, for women, can lead to social penalties since it goes against the expected focus on others’ needs over self-interest.
The research shows that social perceptions of networks and gender roles interact in complex ways, affecting how women are viewed in professional settings.
“By revealing an unfortunate obstacle that women may face—the natural tendency of people to socially penalize women with high-status contacts—our research increases awareness of this bias so organizations can work against it and eradicate this form of gender inequality,” the researchers explain.
Making the gains
To help women benefit from high-status connections without facing status setbacks, managers should push for significant changes in organizational structures. This could include promoting formal mentor programs and implementing sensitivity training to reduce biases.
There is a positive note, though. Women who made it clear that their high-status connections were for the benefit of the group were spared from negative social consequences. This means that both women and organizations can take concrete steps to reshape networking activities and protect women’s status perception. For example, changing the framing of network events to “lunch and learn” sessions could relieve social pressures for women who are assertive and take initiative.
The study focused on how observers interpret individuals’ network contacts, emphasizing the audience’s perspective. However, it did not explore how women themselves feel and behave with different types of connections.
