Færre retssager mod selskaber med kvinder i topledelsen

I et forskningspapir med titlen ”Do Women Stay Out of Trouble? Evidence from Corporate Litigation” lyder konklusionen, at selskaber med kvinder i toppen bliver udsat for færre retssager. ”Being sued is an unpleasant reality for firms. Lawsuits can lead to significant monetary and reputational damages for defendant firms, and can diminish their relationships with customers, suppliers, investors, and other stakeholders. Some lawsuits linger in courts for several years and even drive firms to bankruptcy. Defendant firms lose significant wealth upon lawsuit filing. Firms spend billions of dollars in legal fees to avoid and defend lawsuits. (..) Given the financial and reputational impacts of litigation, it is surprising that little research has been done to identify the determinants of different types of corporate lawsuits (..) we find a benefit of higher female representation in firms which face higher litigation risk. In particular, among firms which are more susceptible to lawsuits, firms with greater representation of women in the top management enjoy a higher market valuation of their cash holdings. Our research thus sheds light on a previously unidentified but important benefit of gender diversity in the management team.”