Portia Hypothesis
The Portia Hypothesis claims women with masculine-sounding names will be more successful in the legal profession than an otherwise identical counterpart. The hypothesis is named after William Shakespeare's character from the Merchant of Venice,[1] who disguises herself as a man so she can argue as a lawyer.[2]
Evidence[edit]
A study of South Carolina judges by Bentley Coffey (Clemson University, Department of Economics) and Patrick McLaughlin (George Mason University, Mercatus Center) found evidence supporting the hypothesis.[3][4][5]
References[edit]
- ^ Alter, Adam (29 May 2013). "The Power of Names". The New Yorker. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ Delistraty, Cody (30 July 2014). "Who Wins in the Name Game?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ Weiss, Debra (3 September 2009). "Female Lawyers with Masculine Names May Have a Better Shot at Judgeships". ABA Journal. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ^ Coffey, Bentley; McLaughlin, Patrick (4 August 2009). "Do Masculine Names Help Female Lawyers Become Judges? Evidence from South Carolina". American Law and Economics Review. 11 (1): 112–133. doi:10.1093/aler/ahp008.
- ^ "Female lawyers with male names 'more successful'". The Telegraph. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
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