Network explanations of the gender gap in migrants’ employment patterns: Use of online and offline networks in the Netherlands

Objective: We investigate the relation between having online and offline personal networks and employment for male and female migrants in the Netherlands. Background: Previous research diagnoses an alarming gender gap for migrants in their employment patterns. Although social networks are identified as being crucial for migrants’ labor market participation, we know very little about how migrant men and women differ in their social networks and how these differences translate into varying employment opportunities. Method: Drawing on the Dutch Immigrant Panel of LISS (Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences) dataset, we examined migrants’ employment patters who have arrived to the Netherlands under different migration streams by conducting logistic regression models. Results: We identify two major findings. While contrary to our expectations, migrant women tend to be connected with those who are employed and with a Dutch background, less connected to men and have a rather dense network structure. Nonetheless, women’s personal networks do not significantly account for their unemployment, but rather their less use of LinkedIn than migrant men. Conclusion: Our findings have implications in understanding network inequalities for female migrants in their labor market participation.