Gender Bias in Succession in Family Companies: Theoretical Analysis With Application to a Portuguese Region

Abstract

In this paper we analyse the problematic of succession in family businesses, and we specifically address the situation of women within that process. The problem is important because, in one hand. family business are among the most prevalent in the economy, and because, in the other hand laws, and rules define gender equality as a very important social rule. We first make a literature review on the topic using the SCOPUS database, and after we detail the results of study made in the Portuguese region of Madeira Island. We conclude that, rather surprisingly, women are discriminated in succession, and this reality has been described in theory and in same empirical studies, and is confirmed, sadly, in our study about Madeira Island. The implications of these results should be great – it is of no use having all the laws published if they are not enforced and women are still harmed and discriminated in such an important social matter. The limitation of this study is that the sample we use in the study is small, but we would underline that the findings of our study are very much aligned with previous ideas. It seems that the old fashioned sexism so well described by Beauvoir in the middle of last century (Beauvoir, 1949) is still a fact. With those results we wonder if that sexism, culturally ignited and learnt as it, can be eliminated. Finally the paper is original because we first make a literature review and then present a case study that illustrates this theory.