A sexual discrimination lawsuit against CVC Capital Partners has brought fresh public scrutiny to issues of gender in the private equity industry.

Lisa Lee, a former managing director of CVC's investor relations group in New York, alleges the firm unfairly promoted less qualified male co-workers over her and tried to shoulder her out of the way when she took maternity leave, reassigning her work to male colleagues. She also alleges a "stark" gender imbalance in the firm's senior management.