Board Gender Quotas: Exploring Ethical Tensions From A Multi-Theoretical Perspective

Terjesen, Siri; Sealy, Ruth

doi:10.1017/beq.2016.7

Cited by 184 publications

(193 citation statements)

References 213 publications

(253 reference statements)

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“…This implies that charities with gender/ethnically diverse boards may not need to employ higher levels of leverage in order to monitor and encourage trustees to act in line with stakeholders' interests. Further, and from legitimisation perspective, board diversity can enhance organisation's reputation/image by increasing public accountability and confidence (Loukil & Yousfi, 2015;Ntim & Soobaroyen, 2013;Sila et al, 2016;Terjesen & Sealy, 2016). In contrast, TBD can increase managers' power and influence over board decisions by appointing a few women and ethnic minorities mainly for symbolic reasons (Estelyi & Nisar, 2016;Gyapong et al, 2016).…”

Section: Charity Tbd and Csmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trustee board diversity, governance mechanisms, capital structure and performance in UK charities

Elmagrhi

Ntim

Malagila

et al. 2018

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Purpose: We investigate the association among trustee board diversity (TBD), corporate governance (CG), capital structure (CS) and financial performance (FP) using a sample of UK charities. Specifically, we investigate the effect of TBD on CS, and ascertain whether CG quality moderates the TBD-CS nexus.Additionally, we examine the impact of CS on FP, and ascertain whether the CS-FP nexus is also moderated by TBD and CG quality.Design/methodology/approach: We employ a number of multivariate regression techniques, including ordinary least squares, fixed-effects, lagged-effects and two-stage least squares to rigorously analyse the data and test the hypotheses.Findings: First, we find that trustee board gender diversity has a negative effect on CS, but this relationship holds only up to the point of having three women trustees. We find similar, but relatively weak results for the presence of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic trustees. Second, we find that the TBD-CS nexus depends on the quality of CG with the relationship being stronger in charities with higher frequency of meetings, independent CG committee, and larger trustee and audit firm size. Third, we find that CS structure has a positive effect on FP, but this is moderated by TBD and CG quality. Our evidence is robust to different econometric models that adjust for alternative measures and endogeneities. We interpret our findings within the explanations of a theoretical perspective that captures insights from different CG and CS theories. Originality/value: Existing studies on TBD, CG, CS and FP in charities are rare. Our study distinctively attempts to address this empirical lacuna within the extant literature by providing four new insights with specific focus on UK charities. First, we provide new evidence on the relationship between TBD and CS.Second, we offer new evidence on the moderating effect of CG on the TBD-CS nexus. Third, we provide new evidence on the effect of CS on FP. Finally, we offer new evidence on the moderating effect of TBD and CG on the CS-FP nexus.

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Section: Charity Tbd and Csmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trustee board diversity, governance mechanisms, capital structure and performance in UK charities

Elmagrhi

Ntim

Malagila

et al. 2018

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“…Although initially debated (Bertrand et al 2014;Terjesen & Sealy 2016), mandatory board gender quotas have since been successfully implemented in Norway (Seierstad 2016 Some critics of gender-based legislation contend that gender diversity should rather be encouraged through 'softer' reforms such as voluntary targets (Seierstad 2016). …”

Section: Mandatory Board Gender Quotasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms to promote board gender diversity in South Africa

Viviers¹,

Mans-Kemp²,

Fawcett³

2017

Acta Commercii

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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.

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“…This creates the ideal of organizations as meritocracies, a social system where talent and merit alone dictate who receives advancements or rewards (Scully, 1997;Castilla and Benard, 2010) without influence from other factors such as gender. Resistance to quotas in particular might be fuelled by the perception that quotas threaten this meritocratic system (Noon, 2007), as in the case of the UK where the threat of quotas has motivated voluntary actions but where quotas remain unpopular (Terjesen and Sealy, 2016). This ideal of meritocracy implies that gender inequalities are instead attributed to essentialist beliefs about the traits and/or preferences of women and men rather than to a system in which systematic biases prevent equal opportunities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Perils of Gender Beliefs for Men Leaders as Change Agents for Gender Equality

Humbert

Kelan

Brink

2018

European Management Review

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This article examines the potentially damaging role that gender beliefs can play in hindering women's equal representation in leadership positions. Based on a secondary analysis of a large‐scale EU‐wide survey (Eurobarometer 76.1), the article shows that essentialist gender beliefs lower support for equality interventions such as quotas or targets, particularly among men as leaders. The results show that discriminatory gender beliefs partially mediate this relationship and produce a more negative effect among men leaders. The paper contributes to understanding the role essentialist gender beliefs often lay the groundwork for gender discriminatory beliefs. Those in turn hinder support for effective gender equality measures. Gender essentialist beliefs can be held by everyone but are more prevalent among men leaders. We conclude that greater gender balance in leadership cannot be achieved without tackling underlying gender beliefs, particularly among men leaders since they are called upon to enact change. We thereby argue that simply asking for men to become change agents for gender equality is not an effective strategy if underlying gender beliefs are left unchallenged.

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Board Gender Quotas: Exploring Ethical Tensions From A Multi-Theoretical Perspective

Cited by 184 publications

References 213 publications

Trustee board diversity, governance mechanisms, capital structure and performance in UK charities

Trustee board diversity, governance mechanisms, capital structure and performance in UK charities

Mechanisms to promote board gender diversity in South Africa

The Perils of Gender Beliefs for Men Leaders as Change Agents for Gender Equality

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