Company Reporting: Female Board Representation and the Use of Gender-diversity Language

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kiely
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Board Representation

scholarly journals Determinants of Companies’ Board Composition in Emerging Markets

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Leticia L. N. Bellato
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Market ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Board Composition ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Count Data Models ◽  
Private Control ◽  
Women On Boards ◽  
Board Representation

This paper examines the determinants of female board representation for a sample of Brazilian listed companies for the year of 2018. Using count data models, we find that greater firm size, performance and board size lead to higher woman representation on companies’ boards. Also, that private control is associated with a lower number of women on boards. Most studies related to board composition focus on independent directors and are conducted in a developed countries’ setting. This work contributes to the extant literature in understanding what drives woman representation on corporate boards in an emerging market context and also would help to support the definition and implementation of gender diversity policies by showing possible impacts.

scholarly journals Chairmen's perceptions of female board representation: a study on Nordic listed companies

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 523-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tor Brunzell ◽  
Eva Liljeblom
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Nordic Countries ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Firm Characteristics ◽  
Female Representation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gender Diverse ◽  
Board Representation ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to survey chairmen's perceptions of female board representation in five Nordic countries, focussing on whether the chairman's perception of board work is related to gender diversity, and on differences between high- and low-risk firms. Design/methodology/approach – The authors combine data from a questionnaire directed to the chairmen of the boards in Nordic listed companies with data on firm characteristics and board composition. Findings – The authors find that the chairmen (97.5 percent male) are significantly less satisfied with female board members as compared to male ones. The authors also find that firms with nomination committees have more gender diverse boards, as well as indications of a more positively perceived contribution of female representation in high-risk firms. Research limitations/implications – The study is restricted to perceptions of chairmen for listed Nordic firms. The low response rate of 20.1 percent is a severe limitation. Practical implications – The increasing practice of using nomination committees in the Nordic countries seems advantageous from gender balance perspective. Originality/value – The authors contribute to the literature on gender diversity in boards by providing results from a board intern perspective.

scholarly journals Mechanisms to promote board gender diversity in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzette Viviers ◽  
Nadia Mans-Kemp ◽  
Rebecca Fawcett
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
The Body ◽  
Gender Quotas ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
International Trends ◽  
Change Mechanisms ◽  
Board Representation ◽  
Board Gender Diversity

Research purpose: Board gender diversity is gaining increasing attention globally and in South Africa. Although more women are serving on the boards of companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), they only represent approximately one-fifth of all directors. This situation mirrors international trends. A review of the extant literature revealed three prominent mechanisms to increase the appointment of female directors, namely mandatory board gender quotas, voluntary targets and shareholder activism. The authors critically evaluated these three mechanisms with the aim of suggesting the most appropriate ones in the South African context.Motivation for the study: The study was undertaken given the paucity of comparative research on the three change mechanisms and the need to promote greater board gender diversity in South Africa.Research design: Judgement and snowball sampling were used to identify a sample of experienced local asset managers. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted to gauge these individuals’ views on the applicability of these change mechanisms in South Africa. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.Key findings: Although the participants acknowledged the importance of board gender female board representation, none of them have engaged investee companies on the topic over the period 2011–2016. This study provides evidence that legislation is the least preferred mechanism to promote board gender diversity in South Africa. Voluntary targets and public pressure from shareholders might be more effective.Contribution: Whereas existing research mainly centres on the rationale for board gender diversity, this study goes a step further by investigating three prominent mechanisms to promote female board representation. A contribution is made to the body of knowledge on diversity management. Context-specific recommendations are offered.

Women on board: the disregarded issue of board interlocks

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Öberg
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Board Member ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Interlocks ◽  
Women On Boards ◽  
Board Representation ◽  
The Individual

Purpose Gender diversity is extensively debated and researched in relation to corporate boards. The focus on the gender composition on single boards neglects an important issue: that of how the power of board members is impacted by their representation on other boards. Board interlocks refer to how a board member is also represented on other companies’ boards, and such representation expectedly makes the individual board member more influential in the boardroom than non-connected board members. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how female board interlocks are considered in previous research on gender diversity on boards. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted. It comprised 71 highly cited articles. The articles were analyzed to grasp their content, and specifically, female influence in the boardroom related to power. Findings The literature review reveals that the interlock perspective is rare in studies on women’s board representation. This is so, even while evidence is provided that females often need companions to get their meanings across on the boards, despite how interlocks would create one link of such power, and although the literature points to how female board representation plays a part to explain performance, social responsibilities and overall strategic directions of firms. Originality/value Contributions are made to previous research by indicating the potential of further research in a largely neglected area of research while also summarizing the previous reporting on women on boards.

scholarly journals How Does the Stock Market Value Female Directors? International Evidence

2020 ◽  
pp. 000765032094983
Author(s):  
Thomas R. Loy ◽  
Hendrik Rupertus
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Gender Quotas ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Stock Market Performance ◽  
International Setting ◽  
Board Representation ◽  
Board Gender Diversity

We analyze investors’ perception and long-term effects of board gender diversity on firms’ stock market performance in an international setting. Our results, controlling for the endogenous nature of board compositions, indicate that female board representation neither improves nor reduces firms’ long-term stock performance. Hence, we argue that it is imperative to go beyond the conventional thinking in terms of the business case for gender diversity and broaden the perspective also to incorporate societal and ethical aspects in the strive to board gender equality. Even more so, as our results show that it does not entail reduced shareholder value, which the literature on mandatory gender quotas commonly seems to suggest.

scholarly journals The impact of the 2012 NZX listing rule change on board composition and company performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-562
Author(s):  
Glenn Boyle ◽  
Sanghyun Hong ◽  
Michael Foley
Keyword(s):  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Company Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regulatory Changes ◽  
Rule Change ◽  
Board Representation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of December 2012, New Zealand (NZ) stock exchange operator listing rule change that introduced compulsory disclosure about gender diversity on NZ boards. Design/methodology/approach A quasi-natural experiment setting with a clearly identifiable exogenous event. Findings The rate of growth in female-held directorships increased significantly after the introduction of the new rule, resulting in, by 2016, the average female board representation being more than double what it had been in 2012. However, this paper finds no relationship between this response and company performance. Research limitations/implications This study cannot attribute causality to the observed jump in female directorships following the 2012 listing rule change due to the absence of a control group of firms not subject to this change. Practical implications The results are consistent with an efficient director appointment process in NZ. Originality/value Low-key regulatory changes can have a significant impact on company behaviour.

Beyond “twokenism”: Organizational factors enabling female directors to affect the appointment of a female CEO

2019 ◽  
pp. 147612701989392
Author(s):  
Jihae You
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Executive Pay ◽  
Female Executives ◽  
Female Directors ◽  
Female Ceos ◽  
Board Representation ◽  
The Relationship

In this article, I examine how a critical mass of female directors affects the likelihood that a firm will appoint a female CEO. Drawing on critical mass perspective, I argue that increasing the number of female directors beyond a certain threshold significantly increases the likelihood that firms will appoint female CEOs. Also, I argue that the positive effect of female board representation on the appointment of a female CEO is stronger when the firm is more open toward gender diversity. I test these arguments by analyzing 3669 CEO succession events in large US firms between 1997 and 2017. Results show that the likelihood of appointing a female CEO increases significantly when a board has at least three female directors. Also, I found that firms’ female-friendliness—which was measured by (1) male directors’ awareness of female CEOs at other firms, (2) gender gap in executive pay, and (3) the proportion of female executives—affects the relationship between female board representation and the likelihood of appointing a female CEO, helping female directors affect the likelihood of appointing a female CEO even when their number is lower than the critical mass.

Fit and Congruency

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-156
Author(s):  
Mary Hogue ◽  
Lee Fox-Cardamone ◽  
Deborah Erdos Knapp
Keyword(s):  
Role Theory ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Job Fit ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Role Congruity ◽  
Self Selection ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract. Applicant job pursuit intentions impact the composition of an organization’s applicant pool, thereby influencing selection outcomes. An example is the self-selection of women and men into gender-congruent jobs. Such self-selection contributes to a lack of gender diversity across a variety of occupations. We use person-job fit and the role congruity perspective of social role theory to explore job pursuit intentions. We present research from two cross-sectional survey studies (520 students, 174 working adults) indicating that at different points in their careers women and men choose to pursue gender-congruent jobs. For students, the choice was mediated by value placed on the job’s associated gender-congruent outcomes, but for working adults it was not. We offer suggestions for practitioners and researchers.

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