Gender and Corporate Governance

Description

Gender diversity as a corporate governance mechanism is high on the agenda for regulators, firms, and researchers. Particularly, gender board composition has received a great deal of attention in recent years. The theoretical foundations of the benefits associated with the inclusion of female directors on boards, how to measure gender diversity in the boardroom, and its real impact on board decisions and firm strategies remain hotly debated. Drawing on empirical data, this book summarises the current situation regarding gender board diversity and provides a concise overview of the most important concerns about this topic. This will be a vital tool to guide the future debate on gender diversity and corporate governance for researchers and advanced students, as well as regulators, policy makers and board members. Cover Half Title Series Information Title Page Copyright Page Table of contents Illustrations Preface 1 Women and governance 2 Women in business 2.1. History of women in companies and the glass ceiling 2.2. Gender entrepreneurship Notes 3 Gender board diversity: Current situation 3.1. Gender diversity in the board of directors: regulation 3.1.1. Codes of corporate governance: general recommendations on gender board diversity 3.1.2. Specific targets on female board representation 3.2. Gender diversity in the board of directors: the current situation 3.2.1. Women in the boardroom 3.2.2. Women as chief executive officers Notes 4 Women’s contribution to boards: A theoretical approach 4.1. Agency theory 4.2. Stakeholder theory 4.3. Psychological theories 4.4. Resource dependence theory 4.5. Institutional theory 4.6. Stewardship theory 4.7. Signalling theory 4.8. Tokenism perspective 4.9. Group phenomena perspective 5 Measures for gender board diversity Note 6 The effect of board gender composition: Empirical evidence 6.1. Board gender diversity and firm financial performance 6.2. Board gender diversity and corporate social responsibility 6.3. Board gender diversity and other business strategies 6.4. A contextual approach: potential moderators of the influence of female directors 6.5. The effect of women directors’ particular characteristics Note 7 Concluding remarks Bibliography Index