We study the effect of corporate board gender quotas on firm performance in Belgium, France, Italy and Spain. The empirical analysis is based on accounting panel data from Bureau Van Dijk's Amadeus. Our identification strategy relies on both double and triple difference estimators with ex-ante...

This paper examines the gender diversity in corporate boardrooms in Asia and the Pacific and how the diversity affects corporate performance. We find that boardroom gender diversity is low in Asia with 7.5% female representation on average in 2012, but showing a 1.8% improvement in 2013. The...

This paper examines the relationship between the presence of female board members and board quality across two groups of European countries between 2000 and 2011. Using simultaneous regression analysis, we find that female representation is associated with board quality and board independence....

In the last 20 years many countries have introduced ad hoc regulations to increase gender diversity in boardrooms. The empirical evidences about the consequences of such regulations on firm performance are mixed. In this paper I investigate the impact of mandatory gender quotas policies on the...

Employing as a quasi-natural experiment an unexpected judgment by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that raised the difficulty of shareholder litigation, we explore the effect of shareholder litigation rights on board gender diversity. Our difference-in-difference estimates show that an...

Using data across European corporate boards, we investigate the effects of quota-induced female representation on firm value and operations, under minimal identification assumptions. We consider sharp increases in the share of women on boards that arise due to rounding whenever percentage-based...

In this paper we investigate the state of the art of women representation in Italian corporate boards, trying also to assess its determinants. We find that female presence still concerns the minority of companies and a small number of women. Moreover, female directorship is associated to some...

Previous research on women directors mostly explores the link between women directors and firm performance. The potential mediators explaining this link are largely under-researched. In our exploratory paper, we investigate women directors' roles in interviews with female and male board members....

There is considerable interest in increasing the representation of women on the boards of publicly traded corporations. Currently, only 17 percent of independent directors in the United States are women. In this Closer Look, we examine the pathways that women took to become the first female...

This study examines whether and how female directors enhance innovation performance. Based on a sample of U.S. firms, this study shows that firms with more female directors on boards present a more pronounced positive association between R&D and future firm performance (measured by earnings and...