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Women on boards of directors: Why skirts in seats aren’t enough

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  • Fitzsimmons, Stacey R.

Abstract

Most organizations focus their attention on simply achieving gender diversity on their boards. This approach misses the point. A complex relationship exists between board gender diversity and good governance whereby such diversity can have a negative, positive, or neutral impact on organizational performance, indicating that organizations may only reap the benefits of gender-diverse boards under proper conditions. This article examines which conditions allow gender-diverse boards to flourish and which conditions lead to failure. Organizations usually increase female representation on boards of directors to achieve one of two goals: gender parity or improved governance. Each of these goals is influenced by different circumstances and thus must be approached in a unique manner. Three recommendations are offered herein for organizations trying to achieve each goal. Gender, ethnic, and cultural board diversity all share related justifications and challenges, so organizations that follow the recommendations in this article will be well positioned to benefit from all three sources of increased diversity on their boards of directors.

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  • Fitzsimmons, Stacey R., 2012. "Women on boards of directors: Why skirts in seats aren’t enough," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 55(6), pages 557-566.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:55:y:2012:i:6:p:557-566
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2012.07.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Adams, Renée B. & Ferreira, Daniel, 2009. "Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 291-309, November.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Bello Lawal & Mohammed Nuhu, 2021. "Board Diversity or Tokenism: A Case for Social Inclusion and an Efficiency Model," Applied Finance and Accounting, Redfame publishing, vol. 7(1), pages 22-31, February.
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    4. Cristina Fenoy-Castaño & María J. Martínez-Romero & Rubén Martínez-Alonso, 2021. "Does the Female Presence in Corporate Governance Influence the Level of Indebtedness in Agri-Food Family Firms?," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-17, November.
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    6. Romlah Jaffar & Nor Asyiqin Abu & Mohamat Sabri Hassan & Mohd Mohid Rahmat, 2023. "Value Relevance of Board Attributes: The Mediating Role of Key Audit Matter," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-21, February.
    7. Rohail Hassan & Maran Marimuthu, 2017. "Does Corporate Diversity Really Matter in the Plantation Sector? Empirical Evidence from a World Islamic Leading Country and Market Reaction," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-25, August.
    8. Valentina Marano & Steve Sauerwald & Marc Essen, 2022. "The influence of culture on the relationship between women directors and corporate social performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(7), pages 1315-1342, September.
    9. Vincenzo Scafarto & Federica Ricci & Elisabetta Magnaghi & Salvatore Ferri, 2021. "Board structure and intellectual capital efficiency: does the family firm status matter?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 25(3), pages 841-878, September.
    10. Wafa Hili & Habib Affes, 2013. "Diversite En Genre Dans Les Conseils D'Administration Et Persistance Des Benefices Comptables : Investigation Empirique Dans Le Contexte Franҫais," Post-Print hal-00991930, HAL.
    11. Nguyen, Tuan & Nguyen, An & Nguyen, Mau & Truong, Thuyen, 2021. "Is national governance quality a key moderator of the boardroom gender diversity–firm performance relationship? International evidence from a multi-hierarchical analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 370-390.
    12. Ana Beatriz Hernández-Lara & Juan Pablo Gonzales-Bustos & Amado Alarcón-Alarcón, 2021. "Social Sustainability on Corporate Boards: The Effects of Female Family Members on R&D," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-13, February.
    13. Adeel Mustafa & Abubakr Saeed & Muhammad Awais & Shahab Aziz, 2020. "Board-Gender Diversity, Family Ownership, and Dividend Announcement: Evidence from Asian Emerging Economies," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, March.
    14. Isabelle Christine Oliveira dos Santos & Tereza Cristina Batista de Lima & Luis Eduardo Brandão Paiva & Davi Sampaio Marques & Elidihara Trigueiro Guimarães, 2021. "Professional Socialization from the Perspective of Female Surgeons: Challenges and Career Achievements," RAC - Revista de Administração Contemporânea (Journal of Contemporary Administration), ANPAD - Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração, vol. 25(4), pages 180303-1803.
    15. Samara, Georges & Jamali, Dima & Lapeira, Maria, 2019. "Why and how should SHE make her way into the family business boardroom?," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 105-115.

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