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Portia Hypothesis

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Atlastawake (talk | contribs) at 00:58, 15 September 2009. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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, who disguises herself as a man so she can argue as a lawyer.

Evidence

A study of South Carolina judges by Bentley Coffey (Clemson University, Department of Economics) & Patrick McLaughlin (George Mason University, Mercatus Center) found evidence supporting the hypothesis.

References

http://www.abajournal.com/weekly/female_lawyers_with_masculine_names_may_have_a_better_shot_at_judgeships_st

http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2009/09/the-portia-effect-.html

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