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Do CEOs with daughters make better leaders?

Recently, it was discovered that daughters who are raised by working mothers are likely to earn more and lead more senior roles.

But looks like daughters themselves have a part to play in how their parents function in the workplace.

Henrik Cronqvist of the University of Miami and Frank Yu of China Europe International Business School found that having a daughter significantly impacts how CEOs run their companies.

In an article, the researchers stated they surveyed almost 400 CEOs (including 3.7% women) who, between them, have a total of almost 1,000 children.

They highlighted that CEOs with daughters were found to be more likely to offer childcare, let employees work flexible hours and have a more diverse workforce.

"Having a daughter seems to make the top executives of publicly traded companies in the U.S. a bit softer, specifically in context of social responsibility," said Cronqvist, as mentioned in The Washington Post.

"They seem to care more about others than just shareholders. Having a daughter seems to push the executives to care more about other stakeholders." 

ALSO READ: WATCH how fathers are shaping the next generation of female leaders

Indeed, the researchers found that when a firm was led by a CEO with at least one daughter, it scored an average of 11.9% higher on corporate social responsibility (CSR) metrics and spent 13.4% more of its net income on CSR than the median.

"The literature in economics, psychology, and sociology suggests that women tend to care more about the well-being of other people and of society than men do, and that female children can increase those sympathies in their parents," Cronqvist said in an interview published in the Harvard Business Review.

"We’ve always known that parents influence their children. It’s clear now that the reverse is also true. Children can change the way their parents think and act—not just at home but also at work. It’s a different spin on nurture versus nature."

The researchers admitted that to their knowledge, sons have no effect on CSR ratings or spending at their parents’ companies.

Image: Shutterstock

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