Conference Agenda

Research on cognitive social structures reveals that perceptions of social networks can significantly shape individual outcomes, often more profoundly than the actual network structure. If women’s social capital in organizations is systematically underrecognized, such misperceptions could have profound implications for career advancement and workplace gender equity.

This study examines gender bias and network perceptions through two vignette experiments. The experiments provided respondents with information about the structure of an instrumental network in a public organization and asked them to recall the structure of the network. The first experiment examines the presence of gender bias in network recall across varying organizational contexts. The second study delves deeper into how gender stereotypes exacerbate biases in perceptions of women’s social capital within organizations.

We find that respondents consistently perceive men as having greater prestige and indegree centrality compared to women despite both having identical structural positions in the network. This bias persists across diverse organizational contexts and is significantly heightened in the presence of gender stereotypes. Findings from this study contribute to discussions on gender bias, network cognition, and gender equity in professional and governance networks.

The proverb “Birds of a feather flock together” reflects the tendency of similar individuals to establish mutual ties. Social networks emerge from interactions shaped by multiple attributes—such as class, ethnicity, age, language, and interests—some mutually exclusive and others not. While previous studies have primarily focused on single-dimensional homophilic attachment with exclusive categories, the dynamics driving multidimensional connection preferences remain less explored. In this work, we introduce a social distance attachment model that captures both homophilic and heterophilic connectivity across multiple features, with the flexibility to incorporate social factors characterized by non-exclusive categories. This approach allows us to assess the relative importance and hierarchy of each factor in group formation.

To validate our approach, we analyze a historical collaboration network derived from the correspondence archives of the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation (IIIC), UNESCO's precursor. This dataset, comprising 7049 documents from the interwar period and 684 individuals, reveals that homophilic attachment around topics was the primary driver of group formation, followed by language, while gender had the least influence.

We further explore whether alternative pathways can enhance the centrality of minorities, particularly women, within the IIIC network. While heterophilic connections promote minority inclusion across all configurations, cross-dimensional bridging—especially through topic or gender—achieves higher connectivity than prioritizing language alone.

These findings suggest the need for minority inclusion strategies that go beyond conventional approaches, leveraging the interplay between social dimensions to promote more equitable participation in collaborative environments.

Research on gender and intra-organisational networks consistently finds that men and women not only have different network structures but also derive unequal returns from them (Woehler et al., 2021). However, the existing literature assumes that all women face the same network challenges hence overlooking the critical role of motherhood. Our work challenges that assumption and argues that motherhood, particularly early motherhood, significantly impacts women’s ability to build and maintain professional networks. We propose that mothers, beyond the effects of gender alone, experience disadvantages in key intra-organisational network positions, particularly brokerage. Specifically, we argue that the demands of motherhood, especially the psychological and time-based strains associated with raising young children, create a heightened family-work conflict. Given that brokerage requires substantial time and cognitive resources, we argue that young mothers who experience heightened family-work conflict will face a distinct penalty in attaining and maintaining these influential positions. To investigate this, we collected complete network data from a UK-based not-for-profit organisation at two time points (six months apart), achieving 80% and 71% response rates at Time 1 and Time 2, respectively. Our preliminary findings, which will be presented at the Sunbelt Conference, provide novel insights into the intersection of gender, parenthood, and network inequalities—advancing the conversation on workplace equity beyond gender alone.

This study introduces a framework for analyzing perceived care networks in fertility decision-making. While prior research has focused on received financial and emotional support from close family, this study highlights expected social support across broader social networks. It conceptualizes care networks as multi-layered structures, extending from partners and family to friends, neighbors, care services, government, and broader society.

Using the trust radius framework, we develop a novel measurement approach to assess individuals’ perceived care radius—the distribution of expected support across various network sources. This radius is operationalized using intercept-constrained regression, where the slope of expected support levels across sources indicates how evenly support is perceived to be distributed. A flatter slope suggests a wider care radius, while a steeper slope indicates concentration in fewer sources.

South Korea provides an ideal context due to public discourse on child-rearing exclusion (e.g., “No Kids Zones”). Preliminary findings from the 2023 Reciprocity and Cooperation Survey indicate systematic differences in perceived care radius by gender and socioeconomic status. Women, particularly those of lower SES, report a narrower care radius, suggesting greater dependence on formal services and a more stratified access to social support.

By integrating network perspectives into fertility research, this study advances methodologies for quantifying the structure of perceived support networks and examines how care radius perceptions shape fertility attitudes and intentions. Further analysis employs linear and multinomial logistic regression to assess the impact of care radius on childbearing decisions.

In conflict and climate change contexts, women's networks play a key role in environmental defense, political mobilization, and collective action. However, there is limited information available about how network formation and structure (relationships and governance) influence their outcomes in terms of political advocacy and territorial transformations while facing multiple risks (climate extreme events for loss biodiversity, threats against environmental leaders). To address this knowledge gap, we analyze the case of National Interethnic Network of Women for Environmental Defense, composed of 32 women leaders from diverse ethnic groups and territories in Colombia, and examine how the network’s structure and governance influence its sustainability, territorial actions, social capital, and advocacy capacity. Data was collected through a three-day participatory workshop, and fourteen semi-structured interviews, and analyzed using an innovative mixed-methods approach that combines Social Network Analysis (SNA), and discourse analysis. Findings show that although the network promotes solidarity and collective leadership through a horizontal model, it faces challenges due to its low relational density and dependence on a central node (an allied NGO) which raises concerns regarding long-term autonomy. Results also revealed differences in relationships patterns related to intersectionality factors. Nevertheless, participants report enhanced advocacy capacity, resource mobilization, and articulation with external actors. This research contributes to gender studies, environmental governance, and social networks by highlighting women’s pivotal role in collective action. It also motivates the debate on how an equitable and participatory organization such as women's networks can challenge traditional power structures and influence environmental policies as well as territorial actions.