Personal Experience and Policy Preference : Executive Attitudes Toward Gender Equality in Corporate Leadership

This study examines executive attitudes toward gender equality in corporate leadership using original survey data from senior male directors and female angel investors in Sweden. Situated in a policy context where gender-balanced boards have been achieved through voluntary - rather than mandatory - measures, the analysis explores how personal experiences shape support for diversity initiatives. Results show that gender-diverse boards are widely viewed as beneficial to organizational performance, yet support for regulatory quotas remains divided. Male executives with daughters exhibit significantly greater support for equality policies, reinforcing the "daughter effect" documented in earlier research. Female angel investors emphasize persistent structural barriers, citing exclusion from networks and limited access to mentorship. By offering rare insight into elite perspectives, this study contributes to corporate governance literature and identifies micro-level mechanisms that shape institutional change.