When Women Stick Together: Network Dynamics and Shared Resources Following Disruptive Events

Abstract

Social networks play a role in exacerbating or ameliorating inequality. The persistence of network-based inequality is well documented. However, the mechanisms that disrupt this unequal access to resources remain poorly understood. This study investigates how structurally disruptive events, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&As), reshape gender homophily and resource sharing in networks. We examine how 59 M&As shape the evolution of 82,064 physicians’ referral and patient-sharing networks. We find that disruptive events enhance women’s access to resources by altering gender-homophily dynamics in formation, and maintenance. Specifically, acquisitions intensify men’s tendency to form ties with other men. In contrast, women are more likely to preserve ties with other women, with all-women dyads exhibiting greater resilience and higher maintenance rates than mixed-gender or all-men dyads. This dynamic results in richer networks for women, shielding them from the adverse effects of organizational disruption. These results highlight contrasting network behaviors following disruption: women winnow their networks, reinforcing stable, trust-based relationships with women, while men widen theirs, forming new distant ties with men. By demonstrating how gendered network dynamics evolve in response to disruptions, this study contributes to scholarship on gender inequality, network resilience, and conditions under which homophilous ties can mitigate disparities.