Networks, homophily, social capital: it’s not even who you know…

PP factor 4:  women don't have access to the same networks as men do, especially networks that include people working at higher occupational or organisational levels.  It's what social capitalists call 'linking social capital' - the kind that links you in to people higher up the power hierarchy, in contrast to bonding SC (hooking up with people like you) or bridging SC  (connecting to people outside your own type, but not necessarily any higher up than you are). Demonstrating this is something other people have done in far greater detail than I have been able to do.  Herminia Ibarra did this over 20 years ago in an interesting paper on…
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part-time pathways

The PP got its first publicity splash yesterday with a 2-page feature in London's Evening  Standard ! In a previous blog I referred at some length to the excellent OECD report Closing the Gender Gap.  I quoted one figure which I said I found hard to believe - that only 3% of part-time women workers went on to work full-time.  I checked with the OECD and they very promptly and helpfully gave me the reference source.  It turns out that the 3% refers specifically to women who use part-time employment as a stepping stone to full-time having started outside employment altogether.   The broader figure for progressing from part-time to full-time is 14% , and I…
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Networks, homophily, social capital: it’s not even who you know…

PP factor 4:  women don't have access to the same networks as men do, especially networks that include people working at higher occupational or organisational levels.  It's what social capitalists call 'linking social capital' - the kind that links you in to people higher up the power hierarchy, in contrast to bonding SC (hooking up with people like you) or bridging SC  (connecting to people outside your own type, but not necessarily any higher up than you are). Demonstrating this is something other people have done in far greater detail than I have been able to do.  Herminia Ibarra did this over 20 years ago in an interesting paper on…
Read More

part-time pathways

The PP got its first publicity splash yesterday with a 2-page feature in London's Evening  Standard ! In a previous blog I referred at some length to the excellent OECD report Closing the Gender Gap.  I quoted one figure which I said I found hard to believe - that only 3% of part-time women workers went on to work full-time.  I checked with the OECD and they very promptly and helpfully gave me the reference source.  It turns out that the 3% refers specifically to women who use part-time employment as a stepping stone to full-time having started outside employment altogether.   The broader figure for progressing from part-time to full-time is 14% , and I…
Read More