yes it does thats why you can go buy a OEM clutch and the pedal be soft.go pull that one out and replace it with like a stage 1 or higher and you will see the difference in how hard the pedal gets.thats why some people buy a higher stage clutch with the OEM pressure plate so the do not have the hard pedal to push in..
and the only clutch company that i know of that makes higher stages of clutches with an easy pedal is competition clutch and they even say with a soft oem feel pedal there is no need to have a stiff pedal..