Societal Pressure or Free Choice: What Matters for Gender Composition of Informal Networks in the Workplace?

Abstract

The following paper addresses the role societal norms (i.e., socially accepted behavior and gender-attributed stereotypes) play in shaping males’ and females’ social networks in higher educational institutions (HEIs). The universities were chosen as sources for network evaluations because of their proclaimed intention to promote gender-equality policies and a stereotype-free environment. However, culture and societal norms influence the representation of different genders in the workplace. The principal objective of the research is to evaluate how cultural characteristics and adherence to societal norms affect the gender composition of professional networks in formally gender-neutral environments in higher educational institutions. Namely, the paper attempts to determine whether the homophily of professional networks in HEIs depends on cultural characteristics. Independent variables include Masculinity vs. Femininity dimension (MAS) and Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation dimension (LTO) from Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions model. Dependent variables include the E-I index of egos’ networks. The data was collected in one Uzbek and one Russian university, with 52 participants in the first case and 49 in the second. The methods used consist of descriptive statistical analysis, the reconstruction of individual and aggregated personal networks, the measurement of six cultural dimensions from Hofstede’s model, and the assessment of the level of homophily. The results of the study can help reveal problems men and women working in HEIs might face, specifically in terms of interacting within the institutions.