Do Job Networks Disadvantage Women? Evidence from a Recruitment Experiment in Malawi ∗

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Do Job Networks Disadvantage Women? Evidence from a Recruitment Experiment in Malawi ∗ (2013)

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by Lori Beaman , Niall Keleher , Jeremy Magruder

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@MISC{Beaman13dojob,
    author = {Lori Beaman and Niall Keleher and Jeremy Magruder},
    title = {Do Job Networks Disadvantage Women? Evidence from a Recruitment Experiment in Malawi ∗},
    year = {2013}
}

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Abstract

This paper uses a field experiment in Malawi to show that highly skilled women are systematically disadvantaged by referral-based hiring, highlighting another channel behind gender disparities in the labor market. The main reason is that men systematically refer few women. We show this is not because there are too few women who are qualified for the job. Instead we show that factors which are not related to women’s qualifications but are instead due to the social environment – such as men having worse information about women’s abilities and receiving more social benefits from referring men – play a role. Firms cannot just rely on their female employees either since in this context, at least, women referred lower quality candidates. 1

Keyphrases

recruitment experiment job network disadvantage woman gender disparity referral-based hiring social benefit firm cannot main reason skilled woman woman ability woman qualification social environment labor market female employee quality candidate field experiment

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