Levels Of Female Representation Research Articles

Women on boards: an empirical study on the effects on financial performance and corporate social responsibility

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is a relationship between women’s presence on boards of directors and companies’ financial performance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and, if so, whether this relationship is positive, negative or neutral.Design/methodology/approachThe research sample included 47 companies listed on the Palestine Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2020. Panel regression analysis was used to examine the study’s hypothesis and achieve the study’s objectives.FindingsThe presence of women on the board of directors positively affects a company’s financial performance and disclosure of CSR. However, measuring the CSR disclosure sub-components separately shows a decrease in the disclosure index towards both the environment and employees. Moreover, the level of female representation on the boards of directors of the Palestinian companies studied is generally low.Research limitations/implicationsConcerning the study limitations, the sample, which comprised all companies listed on the Palestine Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2020, was small. Concerning the implications of the study results, it is recommended that all companies listed on the Palestine Stock Exchange incorporate women on their boards of directors and in their executive management and audit committees.Practical implicationsThe presence of women on Palestinian companies’ boards of directors enhances decision-making policy because of the differences between the genders as well as women’s capacity and unique skills.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the literature on women’s representation on the boards of directors of the Palestinian companies listed on the Palestine Stock Exchange with the possibility of issuing mandatory instructions for their existence. This study also attempts to provide a better understanding of the financial performance and disclosure of CSR of companies with women on these boards and helps determine whether the relationships between these variables are positive, negative or neutral. Furthermore, this study attempts to determine the extent of these companies’ commitment to the indicators of CSR disclosure.

The Effect of Size and Board Gender Diversity in Dividend Payout: An Applied Study on Service Shareholding Companies Listed in Amman Stock Exchange

This study aimed at identifying the effect of board size and board gender diversity on dividend payout and identifying the role of return on assets (ROA) in moderating the effect of size and board gender diversity on dividend payout. The study population consisted of (45) service shareholding companies listed in Amman Stock Exchange (ASE), during the period (2009-2018), using balanced panel data of (36) service companies with (360) observations. The results indicate that the level of female representation in the boards of service companies in Jordan is still low compared to other countries. The results also showed that board size and board gender diversity affect dividend payout. In addition, the return on assets moderates the effect of board size on dividend payout. The results also showed that the return on assets does not moderate the effect of board gender diversity on dividend payout. The study recommends that regulatory bodies should take a step towards encouraging gender diversity in boards to enhance board of directors' effectiveness, through amending legislations that regulate female participation in boards, such as the Jordanian Corporate Governance Code.

Women's Participation in Pakistan's National Assembly Elections: A Historical Review (1970-1997)

This article aims to discuss women's political participation in the context of the country's electoral history. Additionally, it discusses barriers that have had an unembellished consequence on women’s participation in the elections in the past. Women's representation in legislatures remained low, which led to the absence of their voices in the political affairs of the country. Gender and politics study in Pakistan has centered on the participation and representation of women in legislatures since 2002. It is critical to analyze women's participation in elections prior to 2002 to comprehend the contribution made by those female politicians who took part in elections under unusual circumstances. The people of Pakistan have elected a female prime minister twice prior to 2002.Because of the efforts of those women legislators, Pakistan currently has a better level of female representation in both the national and provincial legislatures, respectively.

Female representation on the board of directors and accrual quality within the context of cultural dimensions and accounting values

PurposeThis study aims to bridge the gap in the scarce and inconclusive literature concerning the impact of gender diversity on earnings quality by positioning this relationship within an institutional context. It aims to investigate the moderating effect of different cultural dimensions and accounting values on the relationship between board gender diversity and earnings quality.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses an international sample from 46 countries (3,092 public firms) for the year 2017. A two-level hierarchical linear regression model is used to test the moderating effect of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Gray’s accounting values on diversity and accruals quality relationship.FindingsThe findings suggest a positive relationship between board gender diversity and earnings quality. Results hold valid after controlling for endogeneity effect. More importantly, regarding national culture, results indicate that power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, professionalism, uniformity, secrecy and conservatism moderate the relationship between female directors and accruals quality. Furthermore, different levels of female representation are essential on boards of different societies to use the benefits of gender-diversified boards in enhancing earnings quality.Research limitations/implicationsThe study provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of various worldwide movements toward increasing board gender diversity. Additionally, the results speak directly to gender quota regulatory bodies suggesting that “no size fits all” for gender quota requirement.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the stream of literature concerning gender diversity and earnings quality by investigating this relationship through the lens of national culture and emphasizing the importance of considering institutional factors in examining social interactions.

Exploring the Prototypical Definitions of Intelligent Engineers Held by Irish and Swedish Higher Education Engineering Students.

Males are generally overrepresented in higher education engineering. However, the magnitude of this variance differs between countries and engineering fields. Evidence associated with the field-specific ability beliefs hypothesis suggests that perceptions of intelligence held by actors within engineering affects the engagement of underrepresented groups. This study examined perceptions of an intelligent engineer held by undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students in Ireland and Sweden, countries selected based on their levels of female representation in engineering education. It was hypothesised that there would be a significant difference in perceptions between countries. A survey methodology was employed in which a random sample of Irish and Swedish university students completed two surveys. The first asked respondents to list characteristics of an intelligent engineer, and the second asked for ratings of importance for each unique characteristic. The results indicate that an intelligent engineer was perceived to be described by seven factors; practical problem solving, conscientiousness, drive, discipline knowledge, reasoning, negative attributes, and inquisitiveness when the data was analysed collectively, but only the five factors of practical problem solving, conscientiousness, drive, discipline knowledge and negative attributes were theoretically interpretable when the data from each country was analysed independently. A gender × country interaction effect was observed for each of these five factors. The results suggest that the factors which denote intelligence in engineering between Irish and Swedish males and females are similar, but differences exist in terms of how important these factors are in terms group level definitions. Future work should consider the self-concepts held by underrepresented groups with respect to engineering relative to the factors observed in this study.

Board gender diversity and firm performance: The UK evidence

AbstractThis article examines the relationship between gender diversity, selected female attributes, and financial performance of FTSE 100 firms in the UK. Drawing on critical mass theory by measuring gender diversity as levels of female representation in the boardroom, this study finds a positive and significant relationship between gender diversity and firm performance. However, the results become highly significant and unequivocal when three or more females are appointed to the board compared to the appointment of two or less females. Further analysis reveals that post‐appointment financial performance is positively related to female age, level of education and where female board members also hold executive director positions. The results remain unchanged after accounting for endogeneity concerns and employing alternative measures of firm performance, namely, return on assets and Tobin's Q.

Edifying role of corporate reputation in new issue market: Indian evidence

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between corporate reputation and initial public offering (IPO) underpricing for a sample of 269 IPOs hitting the Indian capital market for the first time during the period ranging from April 1, 2007 to November 8, 2016.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on secondary data (of 269 Indian companies going public) obtained from websites of capital market, Chittorgarh and Securities and Exchange Board of India (from where prospectus of each company was downloaded individually to extract data on financial variables). The study devises the technique of multivariate regression analysis to arrive at the results.FindingsThe results of the study reveal that corporate reputation serves as a signal to naive investors that assures them of issuer company’s credibility, resulting in lower underpricing. In addition to it, the study also observes the level of gender diversity on Indian boards. It is disappointing to notice low level of female representation on Indian boards and the improvement if any made in the number of female directors on Indian boards is due to provisions of new companies’ act, 2013 that mandates at least one women director on the board of every listed company. Thus, females do not constitute a critical mass on Indian boards.Research limitations/implicationsThe current study scrutinizes the impact of corporate reputation on IPO underpricing only. Furthermore, the study analyzes the underpricing of only book built IPOs. Incorporating both book built and fixed price IPOs could have provided better insights into the issue.Practical implicationsThe study outlines significant implications for managers of issuer company to portray company’s own reputation as a signal instead of showcasing borrowed reputation of external agents at the crucial juncture of going public.Originality/valueMany signals portraying quality of the offering are sent by issuer company in public arena to make IPO launch a successful event. Among many such signals like underwriting reputation, auditor reputation, director’s and CEO’s reputation, the corporate audience has started giving more impetus to issuer company’s own reputation. Thus, financial academia witnessed a paradigm shift from external agents reputation to internal agent’s reputation and now the loci of interest has shifted to company’s own reputation. Giving emphasis to corporate reputation seems more relevant in emerging economies like India where naive investors rely on their own judgments while making investment decision who take clue from various signals to infer quality of the offer. It is momentous to observe whether reputation of the company acts as a conspicuous signal to decipher IPO quality. Furthermore, there hardly exists any empirical research directly examining the impact of corporate reputation on IPO underpricing in the Indian context. Hence, the present study is a modest attempt to fill this gap in literature.

The Gender-Representation Gap in Radical Right Parties: Is There Any Contagion Effect from Parties with Small Gaps?

Abstract This study is about women’s political participation in times of increased influence from radical right parties. The gender-representation gap in the Swedish radical right party, the Sweden Democrats, is examined. A reformulated contagion theory is tested using three hypotheses. To test the hypotheses, a large-N study of all of Sweden’s municipalities is conducted. The results show that a large gender-representation gap exists in the Sweden Democrats party compared with that in the other main parties, and the gap has a negative effect on the total level of female representation in the municipal councils. However, the gap and the negative effect are decreasing over time in relation to the other main parties, which supports the hypotheses and the reformulated contagion theory.

Gender and the Politics of Death: Female Representation, Political and Developmental Context, and Population Health in a Cross-National Panel

There is considerable speculation that female political empowerment could improve population health. Yet, evidence to date is limited, and explanations for why political empowerment would matter and the conditions under which this might be enhanced or muted are not well understood. In this article, we draw on theoretical work on the politics of representation to frame an investigation of whether increases in the percentage of females in a country’s parliament influence mortality rates. We further examine whether the relationship is conditioned by extent of democracy and economic and social development. Through multivariate longitudinal regression, we analyze four indicators of mortality in 155 countries spanning 1990 to 2014 with controls for initial country conditions, time-stable structural predispositions to higher mortality, and a number of time-varying potential confounders. Results indicate that a high level of female representation—30 % or greater in our models—has large negative associations with mortality, that these are particularly strong in lesser developed and weak democratic contexts, that high female political representation effectively offsets liabilities associated with low development, and that the relationships are robust to various operationalizations of social development. In the end, our research provides a particularly thorough accounting of the relationship between female political representation and population health, particularly by specifying the conditions under which female representation is most salient. In doing so, the research suggests important links between issues of female empowerment, political context, and developmental trajectories of countries more generally.

With or without parliamentary primaries? Some evidence from the Italian laboratory

ABSTRACTIn the last 10 years, Italy has slowly and quite unexpectedly become the European home of primary elections. On the eve of the 2013 legislative elections, three political parties decided, for the first time, to use primaries as the main method of candidate selection. The aim of this article is to analyse some of the characteristics and consequences of the parliamentary primaries in terms of the socio-demographic composition of Parliament and the behaviour of MPs. The evidence provided by the Italian experience shows that inclusive selectorates seem to promote a higher level of female representation in the assembly and the inclusion of younger people. As far as the legislative behaviour of MPs is concerned, parliamentarians selected through primaries show the highest rates of attendance. Finally, with regard to the level of productivity and the frequency of rebellion, the results of our analysis do not lead to any clear conclusions. However, interestingly enough, MPs selected through inclusive processes demonstrate a lower propensity to vote against the agreed positions of their parliamentary groups.

The Effect of Gender Quotas in the First Decade of the Twenty-first Century: A Global Comparison

The goal of this study is to examine to what extent gender quotas have contributed to recent increases in women’s representation in parliaments. The results show that the effect of quotas on women’s representation in parliaments increased over time during the first decade of the twenty-first century, and that in the mid and late parts of the decade quotas are an important determinant of women’s representation in parliaments. However, the results from this study demonstrate that several countries that use gender quotas still have low levels of female representation in parliaments, which indicates that the designs of the quotas are important.

Impact of female legislators on support for honest government

PurposeGiven that female candidates benefit more from an election based on a proportional representation system as opposed to a plurality system and the extent of corruption may not change much across a crude classification of electoral systems, this study attempts to connect the level of corruption to the proportion of female legislators by introducing the electoral rules as an instrument for the latter variable.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses electoral rules as an instrument for the elected women to clarify the causality of women on corruption since a country with a high number of female legislators may simply have superior economic performance, which may reveal a simultaneous preference for gender equality and clean government. Section 2 describes the relationships between corruption and women. Section 3 provides the empirical specification by first building a channel from the electoral rules to elected women and then investigating the influence of female legislators on the level of corruption. This section also provides a description of the data. Section 4 presents the results of the analysis. Section 5 concludes.FindingsThe results show that having more women in parliament results in more honest government, which is very likely to be causally evident.Originality/valueThis study investigates whether more seats taken by female parliamentarians results in a less corrupt government. While a large and growing body of research on this issue claims that there is a link between a higher level of female representation in government and lower levels of corruption, it is uncertain if a causal relationship can be established. This study attempts to provide evidence by building a channel from electoral rules and gender quotas to the fraction of female legislators, while consequently investigating the impact of female legislators on corruption. Based on the countries contained in this study, the results suggest that the presence of female parliamentarians apparently has a significantly negative effect on the level of corruption, which is very likely to be causally evident.

Pay Structure, Female Representation and the Gender Pay Gap among University Professors

In this case study of faculty at a large Canadian research university we examine the extent to which the gender pay gap varies with the formalization of remuneration practices and female representation within units. We estimate the respective contributions to the gender pay gap of base pay, access to the rank of full professor, access to and amounts of market supplements, and Canada Research Chairs. These remuneration components differ in their degree of formalization. We also examine variations in the gender pay gap across departments with different proportions of females. The use of multilevel analysis allows for the estimation of the respective contributions of individual and institutional determinants of pay. Mixed support is found for the first hypothesis – that the magnitude of the gap varies with the degree of formalization in remuneration components. The second hypothesis that, all else being equal, the level of female representation in a given context is negatively related to remuneration is supported. Overall, the results are consistent with continuing female pay disadvantage, even in an ostensibly ‘progressive’ institutional context.

Women's Representation in National Politics in the World's Democratic Countries: A Research Note

In this research note, I introduce a new concept for examining women's political representation. This concept deals with women's representation both in parliaments and governments. I name the new concept “women's representation in national politics.” The empirical results of this study demonstrate that the independent variable region is the variable with the greatest explanatory power of the independent variables used in this study. The results show that Scandinavia has extraordinarily high levels of female representation in national politics. The results also show that three countries in Oceania—Nauru, Palau, and Tuvalu—do not have any female representation in national politics.

Explaining Gender Parity Representation in Spain: The Internal Dynamics of Parties

This paper sheds light on the reasons for the sudden rise of women in party politics and political representation in Spain. Structural explanations and the conditioning influence of the electoral system are reviewed before focusing on institutional and party-political explanations. It argues that the key factor in explaining this rise is not just the adoption of rules on the gender parity representation, but the intra-party politics that allows for effective implementation of such rules. Using insights into the internal dynamics of the PSOE gained from extensive field observations and interviews, it argues that high levels of female representation were secured via internal party procedures, coupled with political backing from the party leadership. The paper therefore takes the discussion on women’ participation in representative politics beyond the question of adopting quota rules into the terrain of how, instead of remaining a dead letter, it is successfully implemented in practice.

Women MPs and the Socio-Environmental Preconditions for Political Participation in the Federal Republic

With the election of Germany's first woman chancellor in November 2005 it would appear that equal opportunities have finally been achieved in German politics. Furthermore, most parties in the Federal Republic are committed to increasing or maintaining certain levels of female representation within their ranks, and many use quotas to achieve this. This article looks not only at the formal mechanisms employed by the German parties to help women enter politics, but also at whether the practice of politics is conducive to women's working methods and lifestyles. Its focus is on the compatibility of a political career with family responsibilities. The author argues that while quotas have helped increase the number of female politicians, party cultures and practices have not been completely transformed. Many problems remain for current and potential female politicians, especially those whose family circumstances make it hard to adapt to the male norms of behaviour which still characterise political life in the Federal Republic.

Why So Few Women in Dáil Éireann? The Effects of the Single Transferable Vote Election System

The results from the 2002 general election in Ireland provide a helpful startinj point for an analysis of the potential causes of the low level of female represen tation in D?il ?ireann. Many observers have focused on political culture as th< critical variable that explains women's historic low level of representation. Bu Ireland's electoral system, which allows for the single-transferable vote (STV) also has numerous effects on the outcomes of elections. Recent research ii other national settings, especially Australia, leads one to expect that STV woulc result in a relatively high number of women elected to Ireland's lower house; bu the number of women TDs elected since the founding of the Free State is sur prisingly small. This finding does not necessarily contradict the results o research in other states that use a similar electoral system. Instead, it indicate; that something beyond the mechanics of the electoral system accounts for th< relatively low number of women elected to the D?il. In examining the selection of new candidates, the perception that there ha; been no inherent need or advantage for a party to nominate more women can didates appears to be a crucial factor in accounting for the low number o women who have been elected. The recent decision by Fianna Fail at their 200^ Ard Fheis, or annual party convention, to nominate women to at least a third o their candidacies by 2014 is a significant move to increase female representatior in the long term, and it may well begin a process that will undermine histori? low levels of women's representation in Ireland. This decision represents < recognition that the Irish political system has been slow to change to incorpo rate more women into legislative positions. Fianna Fail's commitment no doub also reflects a response to the increased success of women candidates in othe: parties.

Exploring the Low Levels of Women's Representation in Japanese Local Government

Although women have consistently outvoted men in elections in Japan since the 1970s, the country has a relatively poor record in terms of women being elected to representative bodies. In recent years, there have been increases, particularly in the number of women in the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, but at the local level the rate of change has been slower.As in other states, a number of propositions have been put forward to explain the low numbers of women in local assemblies. Drawing upon a variety of sources, including the developing literature and interviews with women councillors and others, this article seeks to identify the variety of factors that have contributed to holding down levels of female representation in local government in Japan. It examines these in the context of recent changes and considers the extent to which there is the prospect for further change.

From Heroines to Hyenas: Women Partisans during the Greek Civil War

The participation of women in armed combat was arguably the most striking feature of the Greek Civil War (1946–9). The advent of civil conflict marked a shift in the gendered division of military labour, as the female ‘novelty’ soldier of the earlier Resistance period (1941–4) gave way to the fully integrated female combatant. This article seeks to examine the circumstances which lead to such high levels of female representation within the ranks of the partisan army (the Greek Democratic Army), but also to explore the symbolic functions of this volatile imagery in the context of intense struggles to define Greek national culture and identity.

The More, the Better? A Four-Nation Study of the Inclusion of Women in Symphony Orchestras

T7his article explores what happens when members of one identity group enter an elite institution that historically has been dominated by another. Specifically, we examine associations between the gender composition of professional symphony orchestras and several outcome measures - players' reports about orchestral functioning, the quality of members' relationships, and their own motivation and satisfaction. Analyses draw on quantitative, qualitative, and historical data collected for a comparative study of 78 symphony orchestras in four nations: the U.S., the United Kingdom, the former East Germany, and the former West Germany. Outcome measures decline as women's representation increases until the proportion of women approaches 50%. Then, the dowvnward trend flattens or reverses for many variables. The dynamics of gender integration are found to dffer (1) at low versus moderate levels offemale representation, and (2) as a function of national context. What happens as members of one identity group become an increasing presence in an organization or institution that has long been dominated by another that is, when the history of identity group exclusivity is being altered? This question can be -asked of blacks entering traditionally white organizations, and vice versa. It can be asked of Palestinians entering traditionally Israeli organizations, and vice versa. And it can be asked of women entering traditionally men's organizations, and vice versa.