Women Executives Research Articles

“Back to the Kitchen”: Corruption Charges Against Women Heads of Government

Abstract While much of the scholarship on gender and corruption suggests that women in political office are, or are perceived to be, less corrupt than men, in just the past few years corruption accusations against Brazil's Dilma Rousseff and South Korea's Park Geun-hye have made headlines and led to their impeachment. In this article, we argue women heads of government are actually more likely to be charged with corruption due to pervasive beliefs that women, by their very presence, corrupt public office. Using cross-national data, we first demonstrate that women executives are significantly more likely to be formally accused of corruption than their male counterparts. We then present case studies of Brazilian President Rousseff and Turkish Prime Minister Çiller to demonstrate the powerful role of gendered discourse in motivating suspicion and inflaming elite and public sentiment and thereby driving corruption charges. These findings make a substantial contribution to the literature on gender, leadership and the politics of corruption.

Gender quotas influence the appointment of women to precarious leadership positions: A signalling approach

AbstractIn this research we address the ongoing debate about the existence of the glass‐cliff phenomenon by investigating boundary conditions and mechanisms influencing its persistence and decline. Drawing on signalling theory, we hypothesize that the glass‐cliff's presence fluctuates with the clarity of signals associated with appointing women board members at various stages of quota policy implementation. In Study 1, we analyzed a dataset of 258 board appointments in German‐listed companies from 2003 to 2020. We found that women executives were more likely to be appointed following periods of declining performance during Stage 1 (pre‐quota announcement) and Stage 3 (post‐quota enforcement), but not in Stage 2 (post‐announcement, pre‐enforcement). In Study 2, an experiment with 476 respondents, we tested for changes in signal clarity as an underlying mechanism. Results indicate that signal clarity associated with appointing women following performance decline is influenced by quota policies. Signal clarity was highest during stages 1 and 3, but diminished in Stage 2. These findings support the signalling explanation for the glass‐cliff, highlighting that its occurrence is influenced by country‐level policies and emphasizing that the symbolic value of appointing women to board positions as indicators of change depends on the clarity of these signals.

Drivers for Nominating First Women Executives: Empirical Evidence From Japanese Firms

Prior research on women in executive positions (WiE) has focused exclusively on the consequences of WiE by addressing how women executives influence firm strategy and performance, whereas little is known about the antecedents of WiE. However, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the overall impact of women executives on the firm, it is worthwhile to identify the triggers that prompt firms to appoint women executives for the first time. In this study, we have attempted to identify the antecedents of first appointments of women to executive teams (FAWE). On the basis of a theoretical frame incorporating the think crisis–think female perspective into the punctuated equilibrium model, we consider FAWE as the process of the transformational reform of an organization and examine the roles of three factors—firm performance (i.e., ROA and aspirational performance), environmental changes (i.e., industry dynamism, industry munificence, and industry complexity), and new CEO appointments—as antecedents of FAWE. We conducted a panel logistic regression analysis using 20 years of panel data (2000–2019) for Japanese listed firms. Our findings demonstrate that (1) poor firm performance (ROA and aspirational performance) was significantly related to the likelihood of FAWE in the subsequent year, and (2) a new CEO appointment was significantly related to the likelihood of FAWE in the subsequent year, whereas (3) hypotheses regarding environmental changes (industry dynamism, industry munificence, and industry complexity) were not confirmed. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed, along with the study’s limitations and suggestions for future research.

Breaking the glass ceiling in banking: the impact of female directors, digitalization, and income diversification on financial stability

Purpose This study aims to analyze the impact of board gender diversity (BGD) on a bank’s financial stability. Moreover, it also examines whether digitalization and income diversification act as mediators (individual and serial) in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested using data from Pakistan’s banking sector financial statements from 2017 to 2021. A two-step analytical approach was used: panel regression in STATA for initial hypothesis examination, followed by mediation analyses using bootstrapping in SPSS. In addition, mixed-effect ML regression was conducted to verify causation and ensure robust findings. Findings Results demonstrate that BGD, digitalization and income diversification are positively associated with higher financial stability. Moreover, as hypothesized, both digitalization and income diversification individually and sequentially mediate the relationship between BGD and banks’ financial stability. Research limitations/implications It is important to acknowledge the study’s limited five-year timeframe. Further investigation is needed to determine the optimal board compositions, especially considering the study’s inclusion of up to 25% female directors on boards. Practical implications Policymakers and top management should prioritize increasing the number of female directors on boards for diversity. Banks that involve female directors can benefit from the synergies between gender diversity and digitization, along with the unique perspectives these women offer. This cooperative dynamic enables banks to explore and capitalize on innovative income diversification opportunities, enter new markets and ensure financial stability. Social implications Research findings emphasize promotion of gender equality and meritocracy through increased female director representation. This fosters a more inclusive and cooperative decision-making culture, benefiting individual banks and setting a model for other sectors. Ultimately, it contributes to greater social acceptance of women executives. Originality/value The study reveals a novel mechanism, emphasizing the revolutionary impact of active female directors in tandem with digitalization, amplifying chances for income diversification and accelerating increased bank viability.

THE IMPACT OF BOARD GENDER DIVERSITY ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Purpose- The Board of Diversity helps companies make more democratic and correct management decisions. The contributions of gender diversity to the financial and non-financial activities of companies are significant. This research was conducted to show the positive contribution of women executives to the environment. Methodology- The study sample includes 108 American companies in the S&P500 index. The study was organized with panel data of USA companies between 2008 and 2021. OLS regression method was used to analyse the results. Findings- According to the results of the analyses, the environmental impact of women on the company board is positive and significant. Conclusion- This study figures out that women executives have higher sensitivity and responsibility towards the environment than men. According to these results, it is essential both in terms of dealing with global warming and in terms of achieving the UN's 2030 targets

The Burning of Bédoin

Abstract On May 28, 1794, a criminal investigation that had begun almost a month before concluded with the execution of sixty-three men and women, the imprisonment of fifteen more, and a few days later the destruction of an entire village. This article examines the burning of Bédoin, the crime that provoked it, and the judicial process that accompanied it, to explore the relationship between criminal cause and punitive effect during the Terror of year II. As a case study in revolutionary justice, this episode appears extreme, but this article argues that it allows us to interrogate the meanings that ordinary revolutionaries attached to terms like crime and complicity when the survival of the state seemed at stake. In looking beyond the Terror to the controversies that enveloped this village's destruction, this article also examines the aftermath of atrocity to consider how a society comes to terms with crime when both the definition of criminality and the identity of the criminal are in flux.

Gender diversity and injustice among supply chain executives: exploring outcomes that advance social justice

PurposeThis study investigates whether the underrepresentation of women in executive-level roles within the supply chain management (SCM) field is justified or the result of gender injustices. The analysis examines if there is a gender compensation gap within executive-level SCM roles and whether performance differences or other observable factors explain disparities.Design/methodology/approachPublicly reported executive compensation and financial data are merged to empirically test if gender differences exist and investigate whether the underrepresentation of women in executive-level SCM roles is unjust.FindingsWomen occupy only 6.29% of the positions in the sample of 447 SCM executives. Unlike prior studies, we find that women executives receive higher compensation. The analysis does not identify observable factors explaining the limited inclusion of women in top-level roles, suggesting that gender injustices are prevalent in SCM.Research limitations/implicationsThis study only considers observable factors and cannot conclusively determine if discrimination is occurring. The low level of inclusion of women in executive roles suggests that gender injustice is intrinsic within the SCM profession. These findings will hopefully motivate firms to undertake transformative actions that result in outcomes that advance gender equity, ultimately leading to social justice for female SCM executives.Originality/valueThe use of social justice and feminist theories, a focus on SCM roles, and an empirical methodology utilizing objective measures represents a novel approach to investigating gender discrimination in SCM organizations, complementing prior survey-based studies.

Collider bias in strategy and management research: An illustration using women CEO's effect on other women's career outcomes

AbstractResearch SummaryCollider bias can cause spurious correlations when researchers condition on a variable that is caused by—or shares a common cause with—both the outcome and the exposure variable. Despite its threat to inference, empirical research in strategy and management has largely overlooked the issue of collider bias. We distinguish colliders from other threats to identification and estimation and illustrate its importance with replications of published work suggesting that having a woman CEO reduces the career outcomes (compensation and representation) of other women executives. After accounting for collider bias, we find no evidence that women CEOs damage the career outcomes of other women in their organizations. We close by providing generalizable approaches to identify and mitigate the risk of collider bias in applied research.Managerial SummaryCollider bias is a type of statistical problem that can generate misleading results in empirical research. Although research in strategy and management has given substantial attention to other types of statistical problems, the issue of collider bias has not received sufficient scrutiny. We illustrate this point with replications of published work suggesting that having a woman CEO reduces the career outcomes of other women executives. After accounting for collider bias, we find no evidence that women CEOs damage the career outcomes of other women in their organizations. We provide advice for detecting and addressing collider bias in empirical research.

Role of Women in Banking Sector – Requires Heed

Women round the world have taken giant strides within their role in the international monetary trade in recent years, as they still occupy a lot of positions in monetary establishments and climb any up the company ladder. Banking may be a profession involving monetary intercession through the creation of a system wherever surplus and deficit economic units are exchanged.The banking sector within the country did have its male domination until 1980’s ,but within the last 3 sdecades the gender equilibrium became fairly poised. In the light of this background, the objective of this paper is to analyze the participation of women in banking sector. Furthermore, the study also tries to examine the position of women executives in banking sector along with the challenges faced by women executives in the male dominating sector.

The role of information in the gender gap in the market for top managers: Evidence from a quasi‐experiment

AbstractResearch SummaryThis study examines the role of information in the gender gap in the executive labor market from the market frictions perspective. I ask whether increases in objective and reliable information about managerial quality close the gender gap in career advancements. To obtain exogenous variation in the availability of information, I exploit a natural experiment provided by the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in 2005 by the European Union countries. I find that when reliable and objective information is more available, women executives are more likely to be hired away with promotion than men, especially from high‐performing firms. However, the gains in advancement rates are dampened in regions where societal views on women in the workplace are less favorable.Managerial SummaryBridging opportunity gaps for underrepresented groups remains a significant challenge for firms and policymakers. This research investigates the role of transparent financial disclosures by firms in closing the gender gap in executive promotions. Utilizing the adoption of the IFRS in EU countries, the study finds that women executives are more likely to be hired away with promotion than men, especially from high‐performing firms. However, less favorable societal views about working women weaken these effects. The study suggests that firms can leverage informational asymmetry in the labor market to access high‐quality managerial resources. Concurrently, firms must be cognizant of how financial regulations may affect their competitive edge in the executive talent market and adjust their internal retention policies accordingly.

Gender Discrimination in Iran’s Capital Punishment System

This study explores gender discrimination and sex bias in Iran’s capital punishment system, reviewing the story of women on death row in Islamic and totalitarian criminal justice systems. It reaches back to the classical Islam to trace how and why sharia law discriminates against women. It discuses original findings and is the first research to focus on execution of women in Iran. A small but emerging body of literature focuses on capital punishment in Iran but does not examine gender in detail. The role of Iran’s Islamic criminal justice system for women, particularly in the context of changes and gender bias after the Islamic revolution, is examined. There is substantial literature on mariticide (women killing their husbands) and filicide (women killing their children), but insufficient literature on gender discrimination in Iran’s capital punishment system. This study provides a profile of 155 women and examines how decision-making in an Islamic criminal justice system has influenced these cases.

Role (in-)congruity and the Catch 22 for female executives: how stereotyping contributes to the gender pay gap at top executive level

We examine to what extent the gender pay gap at top executive level is linked to gender stereotypes, i.e. to societal beliefs about the attributes women and men possess and the roles they ought to perform. We theorize that, even at the highest hierarchical level of an organization, executive functions are gender stereotyped: some (such as IT) are considered typically ‘masculine’, while others (such as human resources) are considered typically ‘feminine’. We argue gender stereotyping at the executive level to be related to pay such that masculine functions are paid more than feminine ones. Referring to role congruity theory, we further argue that women are paid better when they hold less masculine and therefore more role congruous functions. We find supportive evidence for both predictions when studying large European companies across the years 2014 to 2018. Pay data for 353 executives were linked to results of a survey in which participants were asked to rate the masculinity of the areas of responsibility of different executive functions. We find an empirical pattern that reflects a Catch 22 situation in which women executives appear unable to increase their pay by switching to more masculine functions that are, on average, better paid.

PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING ISSUES FACED BY WOMEN EXECUTIVES IN CHANDIGARH: AN ANALYSIS

Psychological well-being constitutes optimistic thought and behavior for self and for others. Psychological well-being depends upon various social, biological, economic, environmental indicators. Psychological well-being of an individual is equally important as it is directly consisted of cognitive and emotional wellbeing. Because of psychological well-being people recognize their capabilities to overcome anxieties and work efficiently. An individual will be considered as mentally fit if he or she associates with people appropriately and solves the problems of life fruitfully. Psychological well-being plays an essential and significant role in all phases of life of a person. In contemporary Indian society women’s health is an important issue and a crucial gender concern. In the 21st century, women are not restricted to their domestic arena however they are performing key role at home as well as at their place of work. At present, a greater percentage of women are working outside. The present study is done to study psychological well-being issues of women executives in Chandigarh. The major objectives of the present study are to find out various psychological well-being related issues suffered by women executives and to explore various reasons for psychological health and well-being sufferings experienced by women executives. Major results of the study highlighted that majority of the respondents were suffering from psychological wellbeing related problems such as mood swings, anger, worry, anxiety and depression due to various reasons such as discrimination and biasness, unequal access to opportunities, glass-ceiling, role conflict that leads to constant stress and depression resulting in reduced work efficiency that directly leads to bad effect on the psychological health conditions of women executives and showing symptoms of mental health illnesses. Consequently, psychological stress has become an ineluctable fact among employed women.

Executive Women’s Networks: the Affinity Bias of Social Capital

Executive Women’s Networks: the Affinity Bias of Social Capital

Determining factors and alternatives for the career development of women executives: a multicriteria decision model

Despite advances in women’s access to managerial positions, the glass ceiling still restricts women’s participation in corporate decision-making. Theoretical studies have examined the determining factors and career alternatives for women’s professional development to understand the roots of this problem. However, analysis aimed at establishing the causal relationships and exploring the implications of this phenomenon is missing from the literature. To fill this gap, this paper provides an overview of the determinants of the career development of women executives and explores how these factors influence their alternatives for professional development. A sample of Spanish women executives is examined using multicriteria decision techniques, and associations are established between factors and alternatives for women executives’ career development. This paper contributes to the topic of gender in management literature by enhancing the theoretical foundations and empirical validation surrounding the phenomenon of the glass ceiling. It has managerial implications in providing companies with an empirical basis for understanding the orientation of women’s career development.

이사회 내 여성임원의 선임동기와 역할은 무엇인가?

The role of female executives is becoming increasingly important as the gender composition of the workforce shifts and stakeholders, including consumers, become more diverse. In general, female CEOs, CFOs, and other female executives help to improve corporate governance by increasing board diversity, which in turn helps to increase transparency. This study focuses on the financial industry (banking, insurance, and securities), with a focus on publicly traded companies from 2020 to 2022. While the proportion of female registered directors has been increasing in recent years, it is still significantly below the European Union's recommended ratio. In addition, I examine the characteristics of financial firms that appoint women executives and find that there is no special propensity for the appointment of women executives other than the size of the board of directors. In addition, while previous studies have shown that women's prudent decision-making is closely related to financial conservatism, this study found no significant association between female executives and conservatism in the Korean financial industry, but rather a significant association between female executives and capital share. This study shows that female executives in the financial industry are formally selected in proportion to the size of the company and the size of the board, but it is significant in that I shed light on the new motivation and the role of female executives.

The tragic consequence of false honour: Understanding the phenomenon of "honour-killings" and its legal implications in Nepal.

"Honour-killings" are the intentional execution of women who are perceived to have disrespected their families; in Nepal this is frequently considered socially acceptable while the United Nations condemns them as arbitrary executions that violate the right to life. In Nepal, "honour-killing" is typically a caste-based hate crime which is not limited to women as there have been reports of male victims as well. The perpetrators are sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, with the perpetrator serving 25 years. Pride-killing is common in the animal kingdom, but there is no logic in killing a family member to maintain family pride in a civilised human society.

Women’s Participation in Firms’ Management and Their Impact on Financial Performance: Pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 Period Evidence

At a time when gender equality is a key priority of all international organizations, this paper can be considered a remarkable contribution to the role of women executives in firms’ performance. More specifically, this study focuses on the effect of women holding positions of responsibility on firms’ performance worldwide. For the purposes of our research, we applied cross-sectional and panel data analysis for all sectors at an international level from 2019, the year preceding the breakout of the pandemic crisis, to 2021, while the indicators used to measure the participation of women in executive positions are classified as ESG indices. The empirical analysis findings end up showing that the participation of women in executive positions positively affects firms’ performance over time, while there is no material change observed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period. More specifically, when the percent of women processing job positions of responsibility increases by 10%, then the index of profitability will increase from 1.4% to 1.8%, regardless of the measurement of female participation in executive positions used. The results of this study constitute a remarkable contribution to the promotion of the creative economy, the progress of societies, and sustainable development. The research’s outcome can be primarily used by policymakers drawing up policies for achieving gender equality in the labor market and workplaces and by shareholders and firms’ managers in order to trust females in executive positions in favor of their firms’ financial performance. The current study is unique in that it focuses on the period before and during the COVID-19 period, as a period of high volatility in economic activity worldwide, while the sample includes firms from large and mid-cap companies belonging to developed and emerging markets. The above approach will contribute to providing more credible information related to the role of women executives in firms’ performance.

Plugging the leak: leveraging the protean career concept in organizations

PurposeThe steady dropout of senior women from the corporate ladder motivated us to gain insights into their opting out decisions. This exploratory study revealed internal aspiration as a contributory factor of opting out beyond the well-established push and pull factors.Design/methodology/approachNineteen senior women executives who had opted out of successful careers due to their internal aspirations were interviewed and grounded theory was leveraged to derive the emergent themes.FindingsThe spirit of autonomy and strong personal value emerged as a common thread amongst the women and the basis for their opting out decision. These factors led these senior women to embark upon newer pastures, which included entrepreneurship, dedication to a cause, a passion or academics. The findings were mapped with the protean career concept.Practical implicationsRecommendations would help organizations reimagine and strengthen the existing interventions for the retention of women at the senior levels while simultaneously empowering the women to align their career with their aspirations.Originality/valueThe study uniquely identifies the protean career concept as the force behind the journey undertaken by these women executives. This is in contrast with the push and pull factors that have been vastly studied as reasons for the opting out decisions.

Corporate Governance, Firm Characteristics and Firm Performance: Empirical Evidence from Vietnam.

The purpose of this research was to examine how corporate governance methods relate to the performance of companies in Vietnam. The study used a dataset of 85 manufacturing firms listed on the Ho Chi Minh City stock exchange (HOSE) and applied Random-Effect Model (REM) and the Feasible Generalized Least Squares Model (FGLS) method. We found that the performance of a firm is positively influenced by a CEO's age, and gender diversity in boards of directors (BOD). However, firm size and board size have a negative impact on firm performance. The research recommends that companies should not increase board size. Additionally, promoting women executives in the boardroom can bring cultural diversity benefits and reduce information asymmetry. Based on the findings, the research proposes several recommendations for companies and managers to improve performance and reduce the negative effects of poor governance mechanisms.