Recent studies in industrialized economies document a shift in gender composition of the labor market.
They report an increase in the amount of women entering the labor force and in the number securing toplevel
positions in organizations (Jacobs, 1992; Kanter, 1977; Reskin & Roos, 1990). In professional labor
markets, organizations' efforts to hire and promote women to senior ranks have assisted gender equality, but
top-ranking male professionals still outnumber women professionals across many high-status professional
sectors. This social phenomenon prevails in most professions and organizational forms, including
professional service firms. Gender stratification, for example, within the legal profession is very apparent,
producing income differences that are more substantial than that exists in the total labor force (Hagan,
1990).
This paper proposes using social capital theory to examine the influences of gender in professional service
firms. Moving beyond the intra-organizational perspective, we argue for the significance of network
structures that extend across organizational boundaries. We focus specifically on gender differences in
network relationships with clients and on the structural nature of the professional's social capital. We
advance four propositions for future research on how individuals' network structures influence the
attainment of higher income and status position in the firm. Finally, we make some suggestions on what
individuals and professional service firms can do to promote more gender equality.