Impact of gender diversity in boardroom on risk-return profile of Indian corporates

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Narander Kumar Nigam ◽  
Kirtivardhan Singh ◽  
Purushottam Arya
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Risk And Return ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Director

Purpose The existing literature point that the presence of women directors in a firm reduces its risk. However, the relation between boardroom gender diversity and a firm’s return is widely disputed leading to no concrete answer. Some studies mention that women directors have a positive impact on firm performance, whereas, on the other hand, some findings suggest that women directors reduce financial performance. This paper aims to study the relationship of firm risk and return with boardroom gender diversity and the net impact on firm performance in the Indian context. This study uses not only traditional measures of risk and return but also the third measure of risk-adjusted returns to postulate its findings. Design/methodology/approach Based upon the data of the top 100 of the Bombay Stock Exchange-500 firms for the period FY 2009–2010 to FY 2018–2019, this study applied fixed effect panel regression and random effects Tobit regression to examine the effect of board gender diversity on firm performance. Findings The study concludes that firms with women directors on board have lower risk and lower returns. It also results in a higher risk-adjusted return, creating a positive impact on a firm’s performance. Originality/value The paper contributes to the existing literature on corporate governance by considering return, risk and risk-adjusted returns in single research to have a holistic measure of firm performance. It provides empirical evidence from one of the largest emerging economies, India where the female director and independent female director have been introduced recently.

scholarly journals Gender diversity and corporate sustainability performance: empirical evidence from India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritu Pareek ◽  
Tarak Nath Sahu ◽  
Arindam Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Corporate Sustainability Performance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to attempt to evaluate and establish the relationship between gender diversity (GD) on the board and corporate sustainability performance. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 212 non-financial companies listed on the National Stock Exchange has been considered for a period of 2013–2014 to 2018–2019. For the purpose of the analysis, this study has conducted the static panel data model analysis and also some diagnostics tests to arrive at robust results. Findings This study, from its analysis, interprets that GD or the proportion of women directors in the company plays a significant role in the decisions related to the sustainability performance of the company. Alongside GD, the profitability of the company, measured in terms of Tobin’s Q, and firm size are also seen to have a positive impact on the sustainability performance of the company. Practical implications This study from its findings contributes to the existing works of literature by highlighting the impact of GD on the sustainability performance of the firm. This study thus recommends the recruitment of an ample number of females in the top-notch positions of the board to create a gender-diverse management team to reap the benefits of leadership styles of both genders. Originality/value Very few studies have been conducted on the dynamics of women’s directorship, especially in an emerging economy like India. This study thus tries to fill this important gap in the literature by examining the relationship between board GD and sustainability performance of Indian firms.

Board gender diversity: performance and risk of Brazilian firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Mastella ◽  
Daniel Vancin ◽  
Marcelo Perlin ◽  
Guilherme Kirch
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Female Presence ◽  
Board Gender Diversity ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to intend to check if female board representation affects performance and risk and to analyse the evolution of the demographic aspects of the presence of women on boards in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a sample of 150 Brazilian publicly traded companies from 2010–2018, with different measures of firm performance, firm risk and women’s presence on the board. The study approach is based on a set of ordinary least squares, quantile and panel data regressions. Findings The presence of women on the board has a positive effect on all of our accounting and market performance measures. However, the result of the impact on risk is not conclusive. The study also found that the number of females on the board has a more significant effect at the lower levels of firm performance measured by return on equity, but at the higher levels when measured by Tobin’s Q. Regarding return on assets, the more significant effect happened on the extremes of the performance distribution. The study findings point that market investors place more value in female presence on the board than in director positions. Originality/value By estimating the impact of women’s presence on the boards of directors in firm performance and risk, this study aimed to verify this impact in different aspects of the company. In addition, the authors did so in a sample with many years, making it possible to evaluate the historical evolution of the feminine presence in the boards of administration as well as in the groups of directors, assisting Brazilian legislators with new evidence about the possible impacts of Draft Law 7179/2017.

Private firm performance: do women directors matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahnoor Sattar ◽  
Pallab Kumar Biswas ◽  
Helen Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Small Firm ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Private Firm ◽  
Private Firms ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Firm Profitability ◽  
Board Gender Diversity

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between board gender diversity and private firm performance. Design/methodology/approach The authors test the association between board gender diversity and private firm performance by estimating pooled multivariate regressions using an unbalanced panel data set of 115,253 firm-year observations. Findings The authors find that younger, less busy and local women directors enhance private firm performance. Firms with 40% or more women directors report triple the economic benefits compared to boards with at least 20% women directors. Considering firm size, women directors significantly increase small firm profitability, and the effect is more pronounced for high-risk firms. Greater board gender diversity enhances small firm performance as the monitoring role of women directors benefits the firm even in the presence of busy men directors. Consistent with the agency theory framework, the authors find that women directors improve small firm profitability in the presence of agency costs. Research limitations/implications Due to the lack of availability of data about private firms, many factors are not directly observable. The analysis uses accounting-based performance measures that may be subject to managerial discretion. Nevertheless, the authors report highly significant results using cash-based performance measures that substantiate the overall findings. Practical implications The results of the present study point to the need for private firms to increase board gender diversity and consider women director busyness, age, nationality and firm size when making board director appointments. Originality/value This study adds to the scarce existent literature investigating private firms. The results contribute to the understanding of gender-diverse boards as well as the attributes of women directors that enhance private firm performance.

Gender diversity in compensation committees and CEO pay: evidence from China

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1065-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Junrui Zhang ◽  
Fangjun Wang ◽  
Junqin Sun ◽  
Muhammad Abdul Majid Makki
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Ceo Pay ◽  
Female Director ◽  
Compensation Committees

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address whether gender diversity on compensation committees ensures objective determination of CEOs’ compensation. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a sample of companies listed in China from 2006 to 2015. The authors use pooled ordinary least square regression as the baseline methodology, and two-stage least square regression and propensity score matching to control for endogeneity. Findings The authors find evidence that gender-diverse compensation committees limit CEOs’ total cash compensation and strengthen the link between CEO pay and firm performance, but only independent female directors have a significant impact, indicating that the monitoring effect outweighs the executive effect. Moreover, compensation committees with a critical mass of female directors have more impact on CEOs’ total pay and the link between CEO pay and firm performance than do committees with a single female director. Finally, gender-diverse compensation committees are more effective in setting CEOs’ compensation in state-controlled firms, where agency issues are more severe. Practical implications Female directors can improve firm-level governance by monitoring management actions, such as setting CEOs’ compensation. The study contributes to the debate on gender diversity in the boardroom, finding a positive economic effect. The study sheds light on China’s diversity practices at the director level and provides empirical guidance to China’s regulatory bodies. Originality/value The authors extend earlier studies by providing the first empirical evidence that gender-diverse compensation committees strengthen the link between CEO pay and firm performance; that independent female directors are more effective in the monitoring role than executive female directors; that compensation committees with a critical mass of female directors are more effective in setting CEOs’ pay than are committees with a single female director; and that the influence of gender-diverse compensation committees on CEOs’ pay varies by type of ownership.

Women on management board and ESG performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Velte
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Market Reactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Board ◽  
Correlation And Regression Analysis ◽  
Thomson Reuters ◽  
Tier System ◽  
European Regulations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse women on management board and their impact on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in two European two-tier countries. Design/methodology/approach The empirical quantitative paper covers a sample of German and Austrian companies which are listed at the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt and Vienna Stock Exchange for the business years 2010-2014 (1,019 firm-year observations). A correlation and regression analysis is conducted to measure a possible link between gender diversity and ESG performance in these European countries. Findings Multiple regressions state that female members in the management board do have a positive impact on ESG performance, measured by the AssetFour database by Thomson Reuters. Surprisingly, CSR expertise does not have a significant impact on ESG performance, whether the implementation of a CSR committee has a positive and significant link with ESG performance. Originality/value The analysis is the first empirical study that has a focus on Germany and Austria as the main representatives of the European two-tier system. Findings have implications for both users and public policy and suggest that current national and European regulations on corporate governance and CSR could have a great impact on future CSR performance and market reactions.

Women on board: evidence from a masculine industry

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Arena ◽  
Alessandro Cirillo ◽  
Donata Mussolino ◽  
Ingrid Pulcinelli ◽  
Sara Saggese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Demographic Variable ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Gender Diversity ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to provide insights on the gender-performance relationship, this paper studies the impact of board gender diversity on firm performance, by taking into account the “critical mass” of women directors and their educational level. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses are tested on a unique dataset of 211 European Union publicly listed companies in 2012 belonging to the construction industry from 28 different countries through a set of ordinary least squares regressions. Findings – The evidence shows that the “critical mass” rather than the simple presence of women has an incremental benefit on firm performance. In addition, results show that the educational level of women directors negatively affects firm performance, as it might impact the dynamics within the boardroom. Research limitations/implications – The quantitative nature of the study does not allow drawing strong inferences on behavioral processes and dynamics in and around the boardroom. Nevertheless, this study will open new research insights on exploring the educational level on board. Practical implications – Regulators and policymakers that should be aware of the influence of women as a group on firm performance and that this role is differential across industries. Originality/value – The novelty of this paper is that it investigates the role of women in a high masculine gender-specific industry and explores a still poorly understood demographic variable (i.e. the educational level) of women directors.

Women on boards, sustainability reporting and firm performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Arayssi ◽  
Mustafa Dah ◽  
Mohammad Jizi
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Sustainability Disclosure

Purpose As pressures mount for women directors on corporate boards (WDOCBs) from different stakeholders, companies become more interested in finding out how WDOCBs impact sustainability disclosure. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of gender-diverse boards on the association between sustainability reporting and shareholders’ welfare. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the implications of women on board for firm-related factors, particularly environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure and firm performance. The firms studied are all listed in the Financial Times Stock Exchange 350 index between 2007 and 2012. Bloomberg social disclosure score is used and panel data through a regression model are applied. Findings The results reveal that the presence of WDOCBs favorably influences on firm’s risk and performance through promoting a firm’s investment in effectual social engagements and reporting on them. The desirable effect of WDOCB on the ESG-performance relationship leads to increased risk-adjusted and buy-and-hold abnormal returns and reduced firm risks, measured by both volatility of returns and systematic risk. Originality/value The research contributes to the literature on the relationship between women participation on corporate boards and firms’ good citizenship and enhanced shareholders’ welfare. The empirical findings contribute to providing statistical and economical validity to the UK Corporate Governance Code 2014 recommendation on the importance of board gender diversity for effective board functioning.

scholarly journals Five shades of women: evidence from Italian listed firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Franco Ernesto Rubino ◽  
Paolo Tenuta ◽  
Domenico Rocco Cambrea
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Executive Women ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Italian Context ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to examine empirically the impact of gender diversity on corporate performance by both comparing different positions occupied by female directors on the boards and their personal-specific characteristics. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines a sample of Italian listed companies during 2006–2015. To deal with endogeneity issues, the authors use a generalized method of moments as an empirical methodology. Findings The empirical findings show that the positive effect of both independent and executive women directors on firm performance is moderated by the specific characteristics of female directors. Specifically, the analyses show that foreign and busy females negatively impact on performance. Conversely, graduate female directors strengthen the positive link between executive women and firm performance. Originality/value The paper sheds light on the consequences of appointing different types of female directors (i.e. independent, executive, graduate, foreign and busy) on firm performance. Our empirical research that investigates the association between gender diversity and performance in the Italian context based on a longitudinal study, which involves a period of ten years, allowing consideration both of the years before and after the introduction of the gender quota law (Golfo–Mosca law).

Gender diversity and financial performance in an emerging economy: empirical evidencefrom India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Santi Gopal Maji ◽  
Rupjyoti Saha
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantile Regression Model ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of gender diversity both at operational and leadership levels on the financial performance of firms in India. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a panel data set of 100 large Indian corporate firms. This study uses the Blau index and Shannon index to compute gender diversity. First, this paper uses system generalized method of moments model to deal with the potential endogeneity issue in the association between gender diversity and firm performance. Second, to unveil heterogeneity in such a relationship, the study applies panel data quantile regression model. Finally, the study adopts a generalized estimating equation model to investigate such relationships for group affiliated and standalone firms. Findings This study finds a significant positive impact of workforce gender diversity and board gender diversity on the financial performance of firms. Further, the results of the quantile regression model indicate that the impact of gender diversity (workforce and board) on firm performance is more pronounced at higher quantiles of the conditional distribution of firm performance. However, the study fails to extricate any significant impact of audit committee gender diversity on firm performance. Finally, the study also finds a significant positive impact of gender diversity at both workforce and board level for a group affiliated, as well as standalone firms. Originality/value The present study makes a novel contribution to the extant literature on the association between gender diversity and financial performance of firms by examining such diversity at both operational and leadership levels in the context of an emerging country such as India that captures the complex realities pertaining to gender issues. Further, the study contributes to the empirical literature regarding the heterogeneous impact of gender diversity on firm performance in the Indian context.

Women directors and performance: evidence from Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 841-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwee Pheng Lim ◽  
Chun-Teck Lye ◽  
Yee Yen Yuen ◽  
Wendy Ming Yen Teoh
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Women Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Developed Economies ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between women on board and the financial performance of Malaysian listed companies. Design/methodology/approach Panel generalised method of moments (GMM) analysis was used over 928 public-listed companies listed on the Malaysian Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2016. GMM overcomes the problem of endogeneity and simultaneity bias. The dependent variable was firm performance, measured by Tobin’s Q. The explanatory variable was gender diversity, proxied by the percentage of women on board, the presence of women and gender heterogeneity indices, Blau and Shannon indices. Findings More gender diversification leads to declining firm performance possibly due to issues of tokenism and gender stereotypes. Research limitations/implications Further studies should look into the impact of various types of ownership structures on firm value and also by sectors. Practical implications As women represent half the population in Malaysia, more positive affirmative policies must be introduced to enhance their contributions to society. Social implications As women progress in society, their contributions towards nation building will be significant. Women not only play a nurturing role, but also can shape the destiny of a country. Originality/value Studies on the relationship between board gender diversity and financial performance have been conducted in the context of a few developed economies. This study contributes to the literature by examining such an issue in a developing economy that has a different environment from that of developed economies.

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