Gendered Complexity of providing sponsorship: How male and female sponsors’ goals shape their social network strategies

Abstract: Sponsorship, when colleagues (sponsors) mobilize resources in their social network on junior colleagues’ (protégés) behalf, is consequential to career advancement. However, men and women do not benefit equally: male sponsors’ protégés experience better outcomes than those of female sponsors. Considering the reputational benefits of being associated with successful protégés, this suggests women do not reap the same returns from providing sponsorship. To explore why this gender gaps exists, we examine male and female sponsors’ goals and the resulting impact on their approach to activating resources in their networks. Converging evidence across qualitative and quantitative data show women approach sponsorship with greater complexity (in the form of multiple goals, Studies 1, 2a-b) than men. Women engage in suboptimal social network strategies as a result (in the form of cognitively activating high-closure networks, Study 3), which are less conducive to accessing a diverse selection of resources and contacts crucial for effective sponsorship.

Keywords: gender inequality; sponsorship; social networks; goal pursuit