@article{discovery10205655,
       publisher = {SAGE Publications},
            year = {2025},
         journal = {Group and Organization Management},
           title = {Gender, structural holes, and citations:
The effects of women's increasing proportional representation in a field},
            note = {This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.},
          author = {Ling, Juan and Brands, Raina and Brass, Dan and Liu, De and Borgatti, Steve and Mehra, Ajay},
            issn = {1059-6011},
             url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/home/gom},
        keywords = {Gender, social networks, structural holes, citations, knowledge production},
        abstract = {Large, sparsely connected social networks (i.e., networks rich in "structural holes") are
advantageous because they provide an informational edge. However, some studies have
found that hole-rich networks can be a disadvantage for women. We examine the question:
Are the returns women derive from structural holes contingent on women's changing
proportional representation in a field? Focusing on the context of knowledge production, with
citations as a key metric of success, we analyzed co-authorship and citation data from elite
management journals (1970-2006) using panel-data regression. Our findings reveal that the
number of structural holes in women's collaboration networks positively correlates with
citations until women's proportion in the field reaches approximately 30 percent. Beyond this
tipping point, the relationship becomes negative and significant. This result remains robust
after controlling for variables such as previous citations (both the individual's and coauthors'), career stage, authorship order, gender homophily, and institutional status. Our study
suggests that understanding the interplay between gender, structural holes, and citations
requires a contextual perspective that considers the evolving circumstances women face as
their representation in a field grows.}
}