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Paper Abstract
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Before
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.
Note: This paper will be published in the Journal of Labor Economics, forthcoming in January 2018.
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After
We use a field experiment to show that referral-based hiring has the potential to disadvantage qualified women, highlighting another potential channel behind gender disparities in the labor market. Through a recruitment drive for a firm in Malawi, we look at men’s and women’s referral choices under different incentives and constraints. We find that men systematically refer few women, despite being able to refer qualified women when explicitly asked for female candidates. Performance pay also did not alter men’s tendencies to refer men. In addition, women did not refer enough high-quality women to offset men’s behavior.
Note: This article is available at the Journal of Labor Economics.
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Paper Citation
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Before
Beaman, Lori, Niall Keleher, and Jeremy Magruder. "Do Job Networks Disadvantage Women? Evidence from a Recruitment Experiment in Malawi." Working Paper, August 2015.
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After
Beaman, Lori, Niall Keleher, and Jeremy Magruder. "Do Job Networks Disadvantage Women? Evidence from a Recruitment Experiment in Malawi." Journal of Labor Economics, November 2017.
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Paper URL
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Before
http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/~lab823/BKM_recruitment_Oct2013.pdf
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After
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/693869
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