WP 545 The Lehman Sisters Hypothesis: an exploration of literature and bankers / by Irene van Staveren.
ISS Working Paper by Irene van Staveren
Abstract
This article tests the Lehman Sisters Hypothesis in two complementary, although incomplete ways. It reviews the diverse empirical literature in behavioural, experimental, and neuroeconomics as well as related fields of behavioural research. And it presents the findings from an explorative survey among Dutch financial professionals.
The conclusion is that both methods find support for the Lehman Sisters Hypothesis. It shows that gender stereotypes are still influential, constraining women to achieve top positions in banking. At the same time, the analysis indicates that women perform better than men in finance and that female leaders have more balanced management skills than men and are rated as better leaders. This would plea for having more rather than less women at the top of the financial sector.
Keywords
Gender, finance, financial crisis, risk
About the author
| Irene van Staveren is Professor of Pluralist Development Economics at the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam. She also specializes in ethics & economics and in feminist economics. She is member of a Dutch think tank on financial reform, the Sustainable Finance Lab: http://www.sustainablefinancelab.nl/ |
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Publication date: Monday, 18 June 2012
