Women perform better in tight-knit social networks, research finds
On average, women are better at remembering tight-knit social networks, where most people know each other, finds research from NEOMA Business School.
The study, co-authored by Helena González-Gómez, Professor of People and Organizations at NEOMA, with professors Eric Quintane (ESMT, Germany), Matthew Brashears (U. of South Carolina, U.S.), and Raina Brands (UCL, U.K.) analyses the behaviours of over 10,000 people in the U.S.
The researchers find that women are more likely to use patterns of thought (called “mental schemas”) that helps with remembering more sociable networks. This “mental shortcut” infers social relationships based on mutual connections. If two people have a mutual contact, it’s more likely that they also know each other.
In cohesive and connected social networks, this gives women an advantage in terms of memory capacity. But in more fragmented networks, with isolated or unconnected individuals, this advantage disappears placing them at the same level as their male counterparts.
According to González-Gómez and her colleagues, this cognitive pattern is not innate, but shaped by socialisation.
From childhood, women are exposed to cohesive relational environments: families, close circles, and other groups where cooperation is valued. They learn to see connections and assume proximity.
Conversely, men operate more frequently in competitive social networks, which tend to be more fragmented and prioritise relational vigilance.
Cognitive patterns influencing how women remember social networks are shaped by socialisation, not biology, and therefore can be modified. This understanding is considered a crucial pivot in the research, providing actionable insight and clarifying that gender differences in networking ability are not inherent limitations but learned behaviours.
However, the researchers are clear: the fact that these cognitive patterns are the result of socialisation, not biology, means they can be modified.
For managers, this opens up new paths for action. The goal is not, and should not be, to force women to become brokers. But recognising the nuanced biases that entrench the current status quo creates opportunities to adapt training programs, supporting women in roles that require navigating more fragmented social networks.
This study was published in the academic journal, Personnel Psychology: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.
