3 Reasons Women Receive Less Venture Capital

The startup community is a man's world. At least, in terms of funding, it is. A recent

from professors at Harvard and MIT found that men are much more likely to receive venture capital than women. The startup community is only 17 percent female, according to an

from Bright Journey. In the study, participants listened to pitches narrated by male and female voices. Those narrated by a male voice were picked more than twice as much as those narrated by their female counterparts. The study also found that people were much more likely to give funding if the men were considered attractive.

Male-narrated pitches were also rated as more persuasive, logical and fact-based than the same exact pitches narrated by a female voice. Being heard and taken seriously as a female entrepreneur is a challenge, AdapTac CEO Candace Hughes told Benzinga. “I do feel women need to work extra hard to prove they know what they're talking about and that they have solid qualifications,” she said. Although Hughes has more than 15 years of experience in management roles, she said she used to be constantly challenged about her business credentials by venture capitalists, who are mostly men. She found it so frustrating that went back to school to get her master's in business administration.

Leadership and communication coach Peggy Klaus works with a lot of women who are seeking funding. She thinks there is definitely a gender bias around women entrepreneurs. “People have certain norms and expectations about who they see as entrepreneurs -- who they see as leaders,” she told Benzinga. There aren't a lot of images of women who are entrepreneurs in our society, Klaus said. The traditional image of an entrepreneur was the attractive, graying at the temples male who was probably the head of a corporation. Nowadays, especially in the technology world, the idea of the entrepreneur is the youthful, jean- and hoodie-wearing guy. Klaus said the lack of strong women images is problematic. "In this world of venture and people looking at new ideas and innovation, you would think that people don't care whether the person is wearing a skirt or pants," she said. While attractive men were more likely to receive venture capital, attractive women were the least likely to receive funding. Klaus said that venture capitalists might have trouble making a connection that women can have both brains and beauty. “If they're really pretty and smart, there's a disconnect for men in the audience,” she said.

The venture community feels more comfortable with a male voice, Klaus said. The anatomical build of a woman causes her voice to sound higher pitched when she's nervous, and that makes her sound immature. “The resonance, volume and strength of a male voice, as opposed to a typical woman's, gives more confidence and makes people more comfortable,” she said,”because we're so used to having men speak to us as our politicians and leaders.” Women also have a tendency to use upward inflection, which makes a declarative statement sound like a question. Klaus said the inflection can sound girlish and make it sound like she's seeking approval or not sure of what she's saying. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had undergone voice coaching once she was elected to her position, and there's is a

between the way she speaks before and after she took office. “She was trying to assimilate that male vocal quality so that people would feel more comfortable with her,” Klaus said.