Appointing Women to Boards: Is There a Cultural Bias?

Carrasco, Amalia; Francœur, Claude; Labelle, Réal; Briones, Joaquina Laffarga; Ruiz‐Barbadillo, Emiliano

doi:10.1007/s10551-014-2166-z

Cited by 114 publications

(123 citation statements)

References 53 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…In this sense, understanding different national realities from the structural-institutional side (Terjesen et al, 2015) and the different actors involved in launching different national public policies (Seierstad, 2015) can determine the outcome in terms of female presence. Socio-cultural contexts, such as gender parity (Post & Byron, 2015) or Hofstede's cultural dimensions (Carrasco, Francoeur, Labelle, Laffarga, & Ruiz-Barbadillo, 2015) illustrate tolerance for inequality and can be critical for the demands of WoB.…”

Section: Demand Sidementioning

confidence: 99%

Searching for Women on Boards: An Analysis from the Supply and Demand Perspective

Gabaldón

Anca

Cabo

et al. 2015

Corporate Governance

141

110

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Manuscript Type: ReviewResearch Question/Issue: This paper seeks to provide a systematic review of the multidisciplinary theoretical approaches to women on boards in order to understand the factors that hinder and facilitate the access of women to boards, to show the instruments that can be used to promote women to senior corporate positions, and to outline a research agenda suggesting gaps that still need to be filled. Research Finding/Results: Women's access to boards appears to be fragmented in research silos from a variety of areas, lacking a comprehensive view that provides instruments to overcome the barriers hindering the access of women to corporate boards. More in particular, this paper has found very little scientific analysis to understand what instruments can be the most efficient in eliminating barriers for women to reach boardrooms given different cultural environments. Theoretical Implications: This paper aims to create a comprehensive framework for understanding the presence of women on boards and for indicating existing gaps to be filled by new research in the future. This framework will help future researchers in analyzing specific instruments and to measure their efficiency in eliminating gender imbalance. Depending on the approach taken for research, the theoretical backgrounds used vary. While on the supply side the predominant theories are gender role theory, gender self-schema, and work-family conflict, the demand side is based on gender discrimination, human and social capital theory, resource dependence theory, and institutional environment theory. Practical Implications: This research provides suggestions to typify causes and provide nuanced policy tools to promote women into leadership positions. Future lines of research are proposed to fill the gaps in understanding female representation in top management positions.

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Section: Demand Sidementioning

confidence: 99%

Searching for Women on Boards: An Analysis from the Supply and Demand Perspective

Gabaldón

Anca

Cabo

et al. 2015

Corporate Governance

141

110

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Across the world, women remain a minority on corporate boards (Brieger et al 2019;Carrasco et al 2015;Grosvold et al 2016). While a growing body of studies indicates some positive effects of gender-diverse boards on company performance, it cannot be denied that, overall, the empirical evidence to date is inconclusive (for overviews see Adams et al 2015;Kirsch 2017;Post and Byron 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Carrot or the Stick: Self-Regulation for Gender-Diverse Boards via Codes of Good Governance

2019

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Scholars have emphasized the potential of self-regulation, realized through 'codes of good governance', to improve gender diversity on boards. Yet, unconvinced of the effectiveness of this self-regulation, many regulators have implemented mandatory quota laws. Our study sheds light on this dilemma. Seeking to broaden our conceptual knowledge of how such 'codes' work in the specific case of gender diversity on boards, we ask: Under which conditions is self-regulation via voluntary principles of good governance effective? Expanding recent institutional-theory perspectives from the literature of women on boards, we show that, in the case of Austria, self-regulation via code recommendations is ineffective unless supported by additional forces. The primary reason for this, we argue, is that nominators do not expect benefits from gender-diverse boards. Furthermore, non-compliant companies face little pressure to change due to the small number of companies that have already adopted respective code recommendations. We identify two potential alternatives to boost the effectiveness of voluntary self-regulation for gender-diverse boards: First, the introduction of concrete targets for female representation and the public monitoring of fulfillment; and, second, the establishment of a credible threat that mandatory quotas will be imposed if diversity goals are not achieved. Drawing on longitudinal data from 2006 to 2016 on listed and state-owned companies in Austria, we give an empirical account of the conditions that assure effective self-regulation. Arguing that codes suffer from what we call 'opportunity bias', we conclude that political goals (such as gender equality) based on ethical rather than instrumental considerations are unlikely to be effectively implemented solely by codes of good governance.

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“…Nevertheless, studies show different results regarding the consequences of introducing national public policy strategies to increase the percentage of WoB (Ahern and Dittmar 2012;Carrasco et al 2015;Chapple and Humphrey 2014;Heidenreich 2010;Joecks et al 2013;Perrault 2015;Sun et al 2014). In this article, we will not make a case for or against the use of different policies; rather we will: (1) discuss key studies relating to the dynamic developments taking place to increase WoB, (2) identify the main actors pushing for change within the four countries of Norway, England, Germany and Italy, and (3) discuss the motivations, interactions and dynamic relationships between the main actors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the Number of Women on Boards: The Role of Actors and Processes

et al. 2015

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Understanding the spread of national public policies to increase the percentage of women on boards is often presented using different types of institutional theory logic. However, the importance of the political games influencing these decisions has not received the same attention. In this article, we look beyond the institutional setting by focusing on the role of actors. We explore processes that include who the critical actors that drive and determine these policies are, and what motivates them to push for change. We employ a processual design approach using a longitudinal country-comparative case study exploring the case of Norway, England, Germany and Italy. We map the political games, both inside and outside legislative areas, including the micro-politics among various actors and groups of actors in the selected countries. Data are collected through participation observations, interviews and text analyses. The study contributes by filling important gaps in the literature by embedding the discussion about women on boards in politicking and national public policies and by introducing dynamic perspectives. Finally, by using a processual design approach, we capture the reality of the women on board debates at different points of time and in different actor and motivational contexts. The study has consequences for how policy-makers and businesses may follow up and act, based on the debates.

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Appointing Women to Boards: Is There a Cultural Bias?

Cited by 114 publications

References 53 publications

Searching for Women on Boards: An Analysis from the Supply and Demand Perspective

Searching for Women on Boards: An Analysis from the Supply and Demand Perspective

The Carrot or the Stick: Self-Regulation for Gender-Diverse Boards via Codes of Good Governance

Increasing the Number of Women on Boards: The Role of Actors and Processes

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