Why does accurate recall of social networks vary by gender?

Our ability to remember who is connected to whom has a profound influence on our social interactions – and sometimes even on our careers. A study co-authored by NEOMA researcher Helena González Gómez shows that women generally have better recall of social networks than men... but only in densely interconnected social contexts. The key factor is a cognitive schema forged from early childhood.

This ability to mentally map the social networks around us – remembering who knows whom or deciphering connections, rivalries and silent but strategic alliances – plays a crucial role in every aspect of our working lives, from launching initiatives to onboarding newcomers and mobilising the right people at the right time. 

But are we all equally skilled at this strategic exercise? The recent study involving the NEOMA researcher and her colleagues sheds light on gender-based differences. But where do they come from? And how does this recall capacity differ according to the type of social network?

The limits of a relational reflex 

The researchers conducted a series of tests with over 10,000 participants in the United States. The first key finding was that women, on average, have superior recall of social networks compared to men. While not a universal rule, this pattern emerged as a consistent statistical trend observed across a large sample. The results confirmed what we already knew; what sets this study apart, however, is that the scientists dug deeper in an attempt to understand the underlying mechanisms. 

In reality, this recall capacity depends on the structural characteristics of the network: when it consists of myriad ties and the groups are highly interconnected, women outperform men. But this female edge vanishes once the network becomes more fragmented and consists of isolated or disconnected individuals.

Why? This phenomenon is driven by a mental shortcut known as a “closure schema”, where it is assumed that if person A knows person B, and person B knows person C, then A and C must also know each other. It’s an effective way of streamlining the recall process when relationships are dense. And yet, when holes appear in the network, it becomes vulnerable to error: individuals who adopt this mental model presume that connections are already in place, and do not seek to build new ones.

Socially-embedded cognitive biases

The study shows that this mental model is not innate: it is shaped by social experience. Women are more exposed to cohesive relational environments from early childhood, including families, close-knit circles of friends and other groups where cooperation is highly valued. In these settings, women learn to recognise connections and infer close ties. As a result, their perception of the social world relies more heavily on tightly connected networks, which encourages the use of the closure schema.

Men, on the other hand, tend to operate in competitive or fragmented environments, where relational awareness focuses more on the absence of connections: on “open triads”, in other words, where person A and person C do not know each other.

Recall as a barrier to career advancement

This perception bias can have unintended consequences. In professional settings, brokerage roles often involve spotting gaps in social networks and recognising when two individuals do not know each other but would gain from being introduced. This kind of awareness relies on a network recall that does not automatically fill in the gaps. 

And yet, women today are strikingly underrepresented in brokerage roles, positions that are typically invisible but crucial. The researchers advance a bold new hypothesis: women may be less inclined to take on the role of broker not because they lack the skills, but because their perception of networks may not be in sync with the demands of brokerage. And since these roles are rarely formalised, inequalities in access often slip under the radar. This study sheds light on a subtle cognitive mechanism that may contribute to the gender gap observed in access to brokerage positions.

Rethinking how we train people to spot differences

The study ultimately emphasises that our network recall abilities are not biological but the result of socialisation. They are, therefore, open to change.

For managers, this creates actionable pathways. In the example given above, the goal isn’t to push women into brokerage roles, but to acknowledge existing biases in order to design targeted training programmes, foster awareness of network dynamics and value relational talent more fully, even when it is not immediately visible. After all, you can't fix what you haven't spotted.

Find out more

Eric Quintane, Matthew E. Brashears, Helena V. González-Gómez, Raina Brands. Gender, Network Recall, and Structural Holes. Personnel Psychology (2025) https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12691