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Daughter Exclusion in Family Business Succession: A Review of the Literature

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Abstract

In family businesses, succession is very much biased by gender and daughters are almost always excluded as candidates. This paper provides a review of the literature on daughter succession. It finds that daughter exclusion results from an interaction of macro (societal/cultural attitudes toward women) and micro (individual and family) factors that both stereotype and discriminate against the daughter, and ensures that her capabilities and contributions in the business remain largely invisible. However, ascension to leadership and control for daughters can occur under “special circumstances” such as in the absence of male heirs or when the family business encounters a crucial transition or crisis event. Notwithstanding, daughter succession is defined by “complementarity” rather than conflict and offers potential advantages over sons.

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  1. School of Business, Charles Sturt University, P.O. Box 789, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia

    Calvin Wang

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  1. Calvin Wang
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Correspondence to Calvin Wang.

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Wang, C. Daughter Exclusion in Family Business Succession: A Review of the Literature. J Fam Econ Iss 31, 475–484 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-010-9230-3

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