Objective Performance Metrics Are Not Enough to Overcome Gender Bias

We wanted to test the extent to which gender-based double standards are present in a competitive context, where evaluators have access to objective performance information and are motivated to evaluate candidates based on quality alone. In this research, we studied investment professionals who are arguably disincentivized to incorporate gender, or any characteristic not directly tied to quality, in their evaluations of investment opportunities. As one industry insider told us, “I am in the business of making money, I don’t care who you are, as long as you can help me in that goal.”