Date of Graduation

12-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Finance

Advisor/Mentor

Jensen, Molly

Committee Member/Reader

Trivitt, Julie

Abstract

This report was undertaken in an effort to establish the causes of gender differences in pay and leadership achievement in the United States. The report attempted to add a fresh perspective to the issues of the Wage Gap and Glass Ceiling by analyzing differences between the networking habits of male and female professionals and whether they are responsible for gender inequalities. Through an online survey of 55 professionals, it was established that high income individuals were invited to more organized networking opportunities than low income individuals (p=0.103) and attended significantly more organized networking events than low income individuals(p=0.094) and men were invited to significantly more organized networking opportunities than women (p=0.038) and therefore attended significantly more organized networking opportunities than women (p=0.062). The survey found no significant difference between income groups for the number of casual networking activities they were invited to (p=0.248) or attended (p=0.866) and no significant difference between genders for the number of casual networking activities they were invited to (p=0.503) or attended (p=0.230). However, some directional differences occurred between men and women in the types of events they were invited to and attended. The study concluded that positive correlation between amount of organized networking and salary coupled with the significantly higher involvement of men in organized networking suggests that gender differences in amount of organized networking may be responsible for the gender wage gap and gender achievement gap in the United States. Furthermore, it was concluded that the presence of wage differences despite similarities in amount of casual networking suggested that different types of casual networking may have a greater positive effect on income. This fact coupled with the directional differences in the type of casual networking activities that men and women were invited to and attended suggest that women may engage in less beneficial types of casual networking activities. Further research is necessary on this subject in order to confirm these conclusions with a larger, less homogenous sample and to determine which types of casual networking have the greatest positive relationship with income and whether men and women attend these types in the same proportions

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