---
title: "Op/ed: To Recruit More Women, Businesses Should Just Ask for More Names"
date: 2026-10-02T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/op-ed-to-recruit-more-women-businesses-should-just-ask-for-more-names"
section: Articles
---
# Op/ed: To Recruit More Women, Businesses Should Just Ask for More Names

*October 2, 2026* — by [Aneesh Rai and Erika Kirgios](/author/aneesh-rai-and-erika-kirgios)


> Research finds that a simple process change can expand talent pipelines.

*I Stock 1398963973 1920x1080 — New research co-led by a UMD faculty member suggests that simply asking for more referrals increases the number of women recommended for jobs*.* (Illustration by iStock)*

*Women continue to be underrepresented in numerous occupations and in the highest echelons of many organizations, occupying just 8% of S&P 500 CEO positions in 2023. One reason, suggests a new study co-led by a University of Maryland researcher, is the disadvantages they face in referral-based hiring and promotion processes: Women are less inclined to ask for referrals and less likely to be referred than men for male-dominated jobs.*

*Aneesh Rai, associate professor of management and organization in UMD’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, and Erika Kirgios of the University of Chicago penned a new essay for* <span>Psychology Today</span> *about their* [*research*](https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2027-59552-001.html) *with colleagues at Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania that found that simply asking for more referrals increases the number of women recommended for jobs.*

<span>Companies routinely hire based on informal recruitment through word-of-mouth, managers often consult their mental Rolodexes when filling internal positions, and employees are frequently encouraged to refer people from their networks for openings. </span>

<span>The problem is, while it’s commonplace to ask for referrals, we rarely think about how many referrals to request. </span>

<span>When people provide a small number of names, they often gravitate toward the most familiar and easily accessible ones. In a company or industry that skews male, that means the first names to come to mind are particularly likely to be men. </span>

*Read the rest in* [<span>Psychology Today</span>](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/people-at-work/202609/want-to-recruit-more-women-just-ask-for-more-names)*.*




**Topics:** [Research](https://today.umd.edu/tags/research)


**Tags:** [Management and Organization](https://today.umd.edu/topic/management-and-organization), [Research](https://today.umd.edu/topic/research)


**Units:** [Robert H. Smith School of Business](https://today.umd.edu/topic/robert-h-smith-school-business)