Board Gender Diversity Research Articles

Board gender diversity reform and corporate carbon emissions

We examine the impact of the increased presence of female board members on corporate carbon emissions. Using the staggered enactment of gender diversity reforms in different countries, we find that an increase in the number of female directors after the reforms leads to a reduction in corporate carbon emissions. This effect is particularly more pronounced when the reform is legislative, and occurs in collectivistic countries. Furthermore, the effect of enhanced female board representation on carbon emission reduction is greater following the Paris Agreement. This study offers valuable insights for policymakers who consider gender diversity reform as a strategy against climate change.

Board characteristics and tax planning of quoted companies in Nigeria

This study investigated board characteristics and tax planning among listed companies in Nigeria. It was an ex post facto type of research with a quantitative design covering a longitudinal time frame of five years (2017-2021). The data were analysed using panel regression (random and fixed effects). The outcomes of the study showed that board size and board gender diversity have no significant influence and exert a negative relationship with tax planning among firms while board independence and board political connection have significant influence and a positive relationship with the tax planning practices of the firms listed in Nigeria. It suggested that the government should ensure that boards of companies in Nigeria are well constituted with male and female members and those with politically connected members should be well monitored to prevent tax manipulations to the detriment of government tax revenue for expenditures. This study's potential to identify how board political relationships may promote tax aggression among firms. Thus, it will enable tax authorities to watch out for politically connected firms with regards tax reduction. Similarly, it will be a source of referencing material for researchers undertaking topics of this nature.

The Influence of Board Attributes towards Tax Avoidance: Evidence from Malaysian Public Listed Companies

The objective of the research is to examine the relationship between board attributes and TA among publicly listed companies. This study utilised a quantitative approach using secondary data from companies listed on the Bursa Malaysia Top 100 Index. The final sample consists of 79 firms. The annual reports from 2018 to 2022 were used for data collection, with 395 firm-year observations. The dependent variable was TA, which was proxied by the effective tax rate, and the independent variables were board size, board independence, board gender diversity, and CEO duality. This study shows a negative and significant relationship between board size and TA. Meanwhile, there is no association between board independence, board gender diversity, and CEO duality, and TA. This research focused on one facet of CG, namely the board attributes, and only four variables are included in this study. Hence, it provides a narrow view of the relationship between CG and TA. Besides that, this research was conducted in the Malaysian context and thus may differ from research conducted in other countries. The outcome of this study could offer useful insights to investors and other stakeholders in their decision-making process. Besides that, regulators can reference this study to strengthen the CG codes to protect stakeholder interests.

Board Gender Diversity and CSR Performance: Do Societal Harmony/Mastery Orientation and Cultural Tightness‐Looseness Matter?

AbstractThe purpose of this study is two‐fold: (1) to investigate the moderating effect of the cultural value orientation of harmony/mastery on the relationship between board gender diversity (BGD) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance; and (2) to examine further whether cultural tightness amplifies the moderating effect of harmony/mastery orientation. Using a sample of 5135 firms across 25 countries during the period 2002–2021, our interaction model run with panel regression showed that the association between BGD and CSR performance is positively (negatively) moderated by harmony (mastery) orientation. Moreover, our test of a three‐way interaction among BGD, harmony (mastery), and cultural tightness–looseness on CSR performance revealed that the moderating effect of harmony (mastery) orientation is amplified when cultural tightness increases. The findings suggest that harmony/mastery orientation matters more for the effects of BGD on firm CSR performance under tight cultural conditions. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the study.

Does the Workforce and Sustainability Reports Strengthen the Relationship between Gender Diversity and Sustainability Performance Reporting?

Gender diversity and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance reporting are critical to corporate sustainability. This study aims to analyze the impact of gender diversity on ESG performance reporting and the mediating effect of the workforce and sustainability reports, considering that these variables are crucial for ESG performance reporting. To achieve the objective, an empirical analysis was conducted with 207 European-listed companies belonging to the healthcare sector for the economic years 2017–2021. Our results prove that board gender diversity influences ESG performance reporting. In addition, this research shows that the workforce and sustainability reports have a positive impact on ESG performance reporting. This study does not show that the workforce and sustainability reports act as mediating variables in the relationship between gender diversity and ESG information transparency, but its inclusiveness has a significant impact on ESG performance reporting. Our results are useful for companies, investors, governments, and organizations in developing sustainability reporting standards.

Board gender diversity and corporate social irresponsibility in a dominant owner context

AbstractThe growing prominence of women directors has increased interest in their role in firms' social performance. However, knowledge of what impact female directors might have on corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) remains virtually non‐existent. This study aims to fill this gap. Using a sample of 107 Spanish listed non‐financial companies from the OSIRIS database (Bureau Van Dijk) for the period 2014–2022, together with alternative regression methods to account for endogeneity (2SLS, propensity scoring matching and generalised method of moments), our results show an inverted U‐shaped relationship between female directors and CSI. This supports arguments that dominant owners might appoint a small number of female directors symbolically to create a ‘halo effect’ or to enhance their public image and thus reinforce their entrenchment and divert attention away from CSI episodes. However, the appointment of a critical mass of female directors does evidence dominant owner commitment to move away from irresponsible corporate practices, since the presence of a larger number of female directors encourages the firm's ethical behaviour and increases the costs of penalising CSI episodes in the face of the firm's hypocritical behaviour. This study contributes to the emerging literature on CSI by complementing the knowledge gained from studies on ethical behaviour in a concentrated ownership setting. However, the study is not without limitations, especially in terms of the difficulty of measuring CSI episodes since, despite the work of the media, some socially irresponsible practices may remain hidden.

Do Gender-Diverse Boards Enhance the Linguistic Features of Corporate Financial Reporting?

SYNOPSIS Textual features, such as readability and disclosure tone, of mandatory financial reports have significant economic consequences. Managers and directors’ demographic attributes can also lead to different reporting styles. This study examines how gender-diverse boards influence the readability and tone of corporate financial disclosures under the framework of upper echelons theory. Using a sample of 3,085 U.S. firm-year observations from 2007 to 2016, we find that gender diversity in the board and audit committee enhances the readability of narrative disclosures and is associated with a less optimistic, litigious, and ambiguous tone in annual reports. This study highlights the contribution of female directors to the quality and transparency of financial disclosures and supports recent regulatory initiatives aimed at enhancing female representation on corporate boards.

Linking executive pay to ESG goals: the role of board gender diversity

PurposeIn recent years, US firms have increasingly integrated ESG performance goals into their executive remuneration packages. This study examines the relationship between board gender diversity and the tendency of firms to incorporate ESG metrics in performance-based compensation using data from US firms. The key questions this study addresses are: Are firms with more females on the board more likely to link executive compensation metrics? What components and types of ESG metrics are more likely to be adopted by firms with more females on the board?.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs OLS regression, logistic regression, as well as instrumental variable, propensity score matching, and entropy balance methods to establish causality.FindingsThis study finds that firms with gender-diverse boards are more likely to shape their executive remuneration plans to be more ESG-oriented. The most significant positive relationship is observed with environmental and social sub-categories. The results also demonstrate that female directors are more likely to encourage firms to evaluate managers based on absolute and short-term ESG goals.Originality/valueThis study is one of the early studies that examine the adoption of ESG performance goals into executive compensation plans. It contributes to the existing literature by exploring the relationship between board gender diversity and the probability of firms incorporating ESG performance goals into executive compensation packages using a sample of US firms.

Impact of board gender diversity on performance of public sector vis-à-vis private sector banks in India

PurposeThe Companies Act of 2013 stressed upon gender diversity in the board of management considering the significant role of women toward the success of an organization. Following it, both public and private sector banks in India implemented the act from 2015 onward. This study aims to investigate whether its implementation has improved board gender diversity uniformly across public and private sector banks. Furthermore, the authors study the impact of board gender diversity on the performance of public and private sector banks in India.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data on listed Indian commercial banks for the period 2015–2021 have been used in this study that encompasses 15 commercial and 12 public sector banks. Return on assets, return on equity and Tobin’s Q are considered as the banking performance indicators in this study, while gender diversity of the board is measured by using Blau index. Furthermore, generalized method of moments has been adopted to analyze the effect of board gender diversity on performance of the Indian banking sector.FindingsEmpirical results exhibit that board gender diversity has been gradually improving since 2015 in both public and private sector banks in India. However, board diversity in case of public sector banks is seen to be lower than that of private sector banks. Furthermore, this study found a significant impact of board diversity on the performance indicators of both public and private sector banks.Practical implicationsThis study gives a clear picture that board diversity of both public and private banks has remained quite low over the years. Apparently, women representation has been found to be less than 50% throughout the period of 2015–2021. As board diversity has significant impact on banking performance, it is important on the part of banks to take proper steps to improve the board diversity.Originality/valueThis study has added to the existing literature by highlighting on the divergence between gender diversity across public and private sector banks in India. It emphasizes on the need to improve gender diversity by a significant increase in the proportion of women in the board to create an impact on decision-making.

Unveiling universities’ sustainability disclosure antecedents: an empirical analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose This study aims to investigate the level of online sustainability disclosure provided by international universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ultimate goal is to identify the factors influencing the amount of sustainability information these universities disclose through their websites. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a manual content analysis to measure the extent to which a sample of 100 international universities disseminate information on sustainability and COVID-19 issues via the web. A multiple regression analysis is performed to test the research hypotheses. Findings The findings confirm that universities worldwide leverage the potential of websites to convey sustainability information beneficial for stakeholders and society. Moreover, while board gender diversity positively affects the level of online sustainability disclosure, board size exerts a negative effect. Furthermore, university size, internet visibility and ranking position have no significant impact on the amount of online sustainability information provided by international universities. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that provides insight into the possible determinants of universities’ online sustainability reporting during COVID-19. This study extends prior research mainly conducted in single countries by providing data on the sustainability disclosure level of universities in different geographical regions. Empirical findings also support policymakers’ global action in the past decade to increase the role of women in leadership and governing positions.

Women on board and business performance

PurposeThis study aims to examine the association between women on board and business performance. It also aims to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and female directors on stock prices, including the function of female directors in moderating the CSR–market performance link that ultimately provides valuable insights into the impact of gender diversity on corporate boards.Design/methodology/approachData from US publicly listed firms between 2000 and 2018 were collected and analysed using OLS regression, median regression, M-estimator regression and MM-estimator regression at 70% and 95% efficiency. In this study, firm market value was measured through Tobin’s Q, board diversity with ISS database and CSR strength and concern with the KLD database.FindingsThe results indicated that CSR positively impacts market performance by 3.1%, female board representation positively influences market performance by 4.8% and female board members strengthen the CSR–market performance relationship by 1.0% while playing a moderating role. Overall, these studies demonstrated the significance of female boards of directors for enhancing market performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study used the data of US-listed firms from 2000 to 2018. The results have contributed to the ongoing discussion about the importance of gender diversity in boards and its influence on firm success. Further research works are suggested to expand the analysis by including other countries or considering additional factors that may influence the association between CSR, board representation of women and market share.Practical implicationsThis study is essential for investors, legislators and CSR institutions in developed countries. The favourable impact of female board presence on market performance and the enhancement of the CSR–market performance relationship highlight the necessity of encouraging gender diversity on boards of directors and CSR activities.Social implicationsThis study emphasises the significance of gender balance on corporate boards in solving important social challenges including climate change, resource scarcity and gender equality. Companies can actively assist in addressing global issues and improving the well-being of stakeholders by promoting gender-diverse boards and encouraging CSR efforts.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first study demonstrating that gender diversity on corporate boards moderates the significant association between CSR performance and profitability in the USA. It has contributed to the expanding body of information regarding the moderating influence of female directors on firm value and stronger evidence for female directors in the governance of businesses.

Board Gender Diversity, CEO Characteristics, And Earning Management In The Banking Sector

Board Gender Diversity, CEO Characteristics, And Earning Management In The Banking Sector

Examining the impact of board gender diversity and regional differentiation in the ESG‐corporate performance nexus: Evidence from financial service industry

AbstractThis study explores the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors on corporations by investigating how board gender diversity moderates the relationship between ESG practices and corporate performance across different regions. Using traditional data envelopment analysis (DEA) and chance‐constrained DEA models, the study analyzes 225 financial service firms over an 11‐year period (2011–2021). Results indicate that high (low) board gender diversity levels significantly influence the connection between the environmental (social) aspects of ESG practices and corporate performance. Thus, the roles of stakeholder engagement and regional distinctions are highlighted in achieving sustainable development goals.

Firm risk associated with environmental and corporate social disclosure: The moderating role of board gender diversity

AbstractThis study examines the relationship among corporate social and environmental disclosures, firm risk, and board gender diversity. This paper offers fresh insights into the relationship between corporate social and environmental disclosures and gender diversity and firm risk., Using panel data of Chinese nonfinancial A‐share‐listed companies from 2008 to 2020, we discover that the correlation between gender diversity on the board and corporate social and environmental disclosures has a significant negative influence on firm risk. The findings also revealed that the impact of gender diversity and corporate social and environmental disclosures is more pronounced to mitigate firm risk in nonstate‐owned enterprises than in state‐owned enterprises. For robustness, we used the generalized method of moments to control for reverse causality and endogenous variables' existence; the findings are similar to the main results. The study contributes to the literature by offering a contingency approach to examine the relationship between corporate social and environmental disclosures and firm risk and sheds light on the relationship in the context of a developing economy.

Board gender diversity and environmental material topics: Evidence from GRI-based reports in the Italian context

PurposeThis paper investigates whether board gender diversity is associated with the propensity to prioritize environmental issues in the material topic list on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)-based reports.Design/methodology/approachRegressions analyses are performed using a sample of 755 firm-year observations from Italy over the 2018–2022 period. The data were obtained from hand-collection on GRI-based reports and Refinitiv Eikon database. Board gender diversity is measured through three proxies: the natural logarithm of the number of women directors, the ratio of female representation on board and the Blau index reflecting the proportion of women/men on board. Additional tests are also developed.FindingsResults show that board gender diversity positively influences the propensity to rank environmental issues at the top of the material topic list on GRI-based reports.Research limitations/implicationsSince the study focuses on the Italian context, results cannot be subjective to an extensive generalization to other countries.Practical implicationsThis study highlights the importance of strengthening the female participation on board to prioritize the firm’s impact on environment within the materiality assessment of sustainability reporting.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the association between board gender diversity and the highest ranked environmental material topics, thus contributing to better understand the role of women directors on materiality assessment within sustainability reporting.

Corporate Governance Dynamics and Financial Performance: Analysis of Listed Commercial Banks in the Ghanaian Context"

This study aims to determine the effect of corporate governance on the financial performance of 14 listed commercial banks in Ghana. The research employs a panel data set from 2008 to 2020 to examine how board size, ownership structure, board independence, capital adequacy ratio, audit committee effectiveness, board gender diversity, and overall corporate governance score affect ROA and ROE for banks. These relationships are analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression within the framework of panel data analysis. Results indicate that ROA is positively related to board size, board independence, audit committee, and Board gender diversity. Also, ROE is positively influenced by companies’ ownership structure, capital adequacy ratio, audit committee effectiveness, and overall corporate employment governance rating. However, there is a significant negative correlation between ROE and women’s representation or board gender diversity. Also, another key finding is that both Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) are significantly affected by debt and debt-to-equity ratios. This indicates that banks borrowing more have reduced profitability, underlining the need for a well-managed capital structure and no over-reliance on loans. This study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between corporate governance and performance in the banking sector of Ghana, emphasizing that high-quality governance systems can improve and enhance financial performance. The insight gained from this analysis shows that Banks should aim towards good corporate governance practices such as; maintaining proper board size, promoting greater board independence, ensuring efficient audit procedures, and encouraging more gender diversity to enhance profitability. The outcomes also emphasized a well-built base of capital and concentrated ownership, enabling better financial results.The outcomes of this research are useful to Ghanaian policymakers, regulators, and bank executives who view the need for strong corporate governance environments to buttress the stability and growth of the banking sector.

Determinant Factors of Cyber Security Disclosure: A Systematic Literature Review

Cyber security disclosures as risk factor disclosures are particularly important. The importance of cyber security disclosure decisions is intensified by a significant number of data breaches that occur throughout the year raising serious concerns about corporate cyber security programs. Costs of data breaches can be significant. On the other hand, research on cyber security disclosure is still rare. This study aims to identify the factors that influence cyber security disclosures. Articles from various international journals were reviewed. Literature review was conducted to find determinant factors that determine cyber security disclosures. The results show that the determinant factors of cyber security disclosures are cyber security breach/previous cyber incidents, peer breach, public attention, WFH, board size, board independence, board gender diversity, institutional shareholders, foreign shareholders, capital expenditure, intangible asset, firm’s size, firm’s growth, firm’s leverage, firm’s profitability, firm’s loss, industry, guidance, technology committee, and executive change. Based on the literature review, the authors provide suggestions for future research. This research contributes by providing a comprehensive discussion of the determinant factors of cybersecurity disclosure from various studies. The limitation of this study is that the authors only reviewed articles published in English. Future research must include articles published in multiple languages. Keywords: cyber, cybersecurity, disclosure, cybersecurity disclosure, determinants

CEO gender, critical mass of board gender diversity and ESG performance: UK evidence

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between CEO leadership, gender homophily and corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. We also investigate whether it is essential to have a critical mass of women directors on the board to create a significant power of gender diversity in leadership positions.Design/methodology/approachOur study is based on firms listed on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE-All-Share) from 2011 to 2019. CEO characteristics and other board variables were collected from BoardEx, and ESG data, and other related variables were collected from Eikon database.FindingsWe find a critical mass of female directors contributes to ESG performance suggesting that token representation of female directors on boards limits their effectiveness. We do not find support for the gender homophily perspective, our findings suggest that the effectiveness of female CEOs does not depend on the existence of a critical mass of female directors. Female directors and female CEOs are less likely to be associated with ESG activities when firms experience poor financial performance. We also find that younger female CEOs have a positive impact on ESG performance. Furthermore, we find female CEOs with shorter tenure are more likely to improve ESG performance. Overall, our findings suggest a substitutional effect between having female CEOs and gender diverse boards.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the debate on gender homophily in the boardroom and how that may affect ESG practices. It also complements existing academic research on female leadership and ESG performance and has important implications for senior management and policymakers.

Detection Determinants of Bank Sustainability Report

Abstract Purpose - This study aims to determine the effect of board gender diversity, narcissism, and audit committee meeting intensity on sustainability reports in the banking company sub-sector listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for 2018-2022. Design/methodology/approach - This study is a quantitative study that uses secondary data, namely data that has been processed in finished form and has been published. The population in this study are banking company sub-sector listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for 2018-2022. The sample in this study was 12 companies with five years of observation using purposive sampling techniques to obtain 60 samples. The data analysis techniques used in this study are classical assumption test analysis, multiple linear regression test, correlation test, determination test, and t-test using SPSS 27 software. Findings - The results showed board gender diversity has a negative effect on sustainability reports, narcissism does not affect sustainability report, and audit committee meeting intensity has a positive effect on sustainability reports.Research limitations/implications - This research also provides a basis for further research into the relationship between organizational factors, leadership, and sustainability. Keywords: Board Gender Diversity, Narcissism, Audit Committee, and Sustainability Report Disclosure

Pengaruh ESG terhadap Kinerja Perusahaan: Moderasi Board Gender Diversity

Company performance is a metric in assessing the level of success of a company in a certain period. to maintain good company performance, companies need to manage core business, namely building good relationships with stakeholders. For investors as stakeholders, the availability of information presented by the company is very important to decide on the right capital allocation and avoid the risks that occur. With the encouragement from the government and investors as stakeholders, more and more companies want to provide a clear picture of corporate practices and responsibilities, one of which is by disclosing environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) aspects. The purpose of this study to provide empirical evidence regarding the influence of ESG on company performance, provide empirical evidence regarding the role of board gender diversity on the influence of ESG on the performance of companies listed on the Stock Exchange in Indonesia and Germany in 2018-2022. The sampling technique in this study was purposive sampling. Data was taken from Thomsonreuters and this study used panel data regression analysis with STATA 17. The results of this study found that ESG has no effect on company performance in Indonesia. The results of further research found that ESG has a negative effect on company performance in Germany. This study found that board gender diversity plays a role in encouraging ESG activities to improve firm performance in Germany.