The daughter effect

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Written By Hanh Le

2 min read · August 4, 2023
New Power Labs

A study by Harvard researchers Gompers and Wang uncovered the “daughter effect,” whereby senior VC partners who had parented more daughters than sons were shown to hire more female partners. Having daughters aged 12 or older had a greater effect on hiring practices than having younger daughters, which researchers noted, "is consistent with fathers observing potential gender biases that their daughters face as they get older”.

The same study also noted that improved gender diversity within the firm improved deal and fund performance.

Waiting until a majority of senior VC partners have raised more daughters to address gender disparity in the VC world is one way forward, but is this the most efficient or effective strategy?

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Hanh Le
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