Understanding the Complex Implications of Relational Demography: A Quantitative and Qualitative Review and Analysis

Being dissimilar has a variety of complex consequences in employment settings. Over the past decades a growing body of research under the framework of relational demography has sought to uncover the complex consequences of employee dissimilarity. Yet, findings from this growing area of research remain mixed and inconclusive. We view these mixed findings as an opportunity to revisit current theoretical perspectives in this area and to take stock of research findings to date. Combining elements of a quantitative and qualitative narrative review, we incorporated 50 articles to develop a comprehensive overview of findings of relational demography research. We first conducted a meta-analysis using 389 effect sizes from 50 studies conducted during 1989-2013. Findings indicated that although overall effect sizes are weak, there are discernible patterns across dissimilarity attributes and outcome types considered. To better understand the effects of relational demography, we also conducted an in-depth narrative review and identified key research themes and trends in past relational demography research. We also propose several theoretical and empirical directions that we hope will set the agenda for future research on this topic.