%0 Journal Article
%@ 1059-6011
%A Ling, Juan
%A Brands, Raina
%A Brass, Dan
%A Liu, De
%A Borgatti, Steve
%A Mehra, Ajay
%D 2025
%F discovery:10205655
%I SAGE Publications
%J Group and Organization Management
%K Gender, social networks, structural holes, citations, knowledge production
%T Gender, structural holes, and citations:  The effects of women’s increasing proportional representation in a field
%U https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10205655/
%X 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.
%Z This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.