We show that investor preferences for diversity have had a significant effect on the initial returns earned by U.S. firms going public with gender diverse boards over the past decade. There is no difference in economic fundamentals, such as profitability, between these firms and firms without...

We study the relation between board gender diversity and initial public offering (IPO) price formation. We find that IPOs experience significantly greater underpricing when the firm’s board has at least one female director, relative to when no women sit on the board. The underpricing effect is...