IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v79y2025ics1544612325005173.html

Board gender diversity and organization capital

Author

Listed:
  • Lin, Chu-Bin
  • Qi, Zhengyang
  • Chen, Yi-Wen
  • Sun, Yicheng

Abstract

This study examines the effects of board gender diversity on firms’ investment in organization capital (OC), drawing on a comprehensive dataset of US public firms from 2000 to 2019. The main findings suggest that firms with greater board gender diversity tend to allocate more resources toward OC. Our results remain robust when employing an instrumental variable approach and propensity score matching with difference-in-differences analysis to address endogeneity concerns. Furthermore, we find that board gender diversity amplifies the positive effects of OC on firm value. Our investigation provides new evidence of the positive relationship between board gender diversity and firm value.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin, Chu-Bin & Qi, Zhengyang & Chen, Yi-Wen & Sun, Yicheng, 2025. "Board gender diversity and organization capital," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:79:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325005173
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2025.107254
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612325005173
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2025.107254?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    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.
    2. Kenneth R. Ahern & Amy K. Dittmar, 2012. "The Changing of the Boards: The Impact on Firm Valuation of Mandated Female Board Representation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 127(1), pages 137-197.
    3. Atif, Muhammad & Hossain, Mohammed & Alam, Md Samsul & Goergen, Marc, 2021. "Does board gender diversity affect renewable energy consumption?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    4. Barroso, Raúl & Duan, Tinghua & Guo, Siyue (Sarina) & Kowalewski, Oskar, 2024. "Board gender diversity reform and corporate carbon emissions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    5. Baruch Lev & Suresh Radhakrishnan & Weining Zhang, 2009. "Organization Capital," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 45(3), pages 275-298, September.
    6. Levi, Maurice & Li, Kai & Zhang, Feng, 2014. "Director gender and mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 185-200.
    7. Greene, Daniel & Intintoli, Vincent J. & Kahle, Kathleen M., 2020. "Do board gender quotas affect firm value? Evidence from California Senate Bill No. 826," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    8. Amy J. Hillman & Albert A. Cannella & Ramona L. Paetzold, 2000. "The Resource Dependence Role of Corporate Directors: Strategic Adaptation of Board Composition in Response to Environmental Change," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(2), pages 235-256, March.
    9. Carol Corrado & Charles Hulten & Daniel Sichel, 2009. "Intangible Capital And U.S. Economic Growth," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 55(3), pages 661-685, September.
    10. Baruch Lev & Suresh Radhakrishnan, 2005. "The Valuation of Organization Capital," NBER Chapters, in: Measuring Capital in the New Economy, pages 73-110, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Berger, Allen N. & Kick, Thomas & Schaeck, Klaus, 2014. "Executive board composition and bank risk taking," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 48-65.
    12. Alkhawaja, Abdallah & Hu, Fang & Johl, Shireenjit & Nadarajah, Sivathaasan, 2023. "Board gender diversity, quotas, and ESG disclosure: Global evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    13. Andrea L. Eisfeldt & Dimitris Papanikolaou, 2013. "Organization Capital and the Cross-Section of Expected Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 68(4), pages 1365-1406, August.
    14. Frederico Belo & Jun Li & Xiaoji Lin & Xiaofei Zhao, 2017. "Labor-Force Heterogeneity and Asset Prices: The Importance of Skilled Labor," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(10), pages 3669-3709.
    15. Mobbs, Shawn & Tan, Yongxian & Zhang, Shage, 2021. "Female directors: Why are some less informed than others?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    16. Gow, Ian D. & Larcker, David F. & Watts, Edward M., 2023. "Board diversity and shareholder voting," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    17. Chen, Jie & Leung, Woon Sau & Goergen, Marc, 2017. "The impact of board gender composition on dividend payouts," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 86-105.
    18. Shoham, Amir & Lee, Sang Mook & Khan, Zaheer & Tarba, Shlomo Y. & Ahammad, Mohammad Faisal, 2020. "The effect of board gender diversity on cross-listing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    19. Zareie, Mobina & Attig, Najah & El Ghoul, Sadok & Fooladi, Iraj, 2024. "Firm digital transformation and corporate performance: The moderating effect of organizational capital," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    20. Baghdadi, Ghasan A. & Safiullah, Md & Heyden, Mariano L.M., 2023. "Do gender diverse boards enhance managerial ability?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    21. Bao, Yangming & Li, Jie, 2024. "Cross-border M&A, gender-equal culture, and board gender diversity," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    22. Sila, Vathunyoo & Gonzalez, Angelica & Hagendorff, Jens, 2016. "Women on board: Does boardroom gender diversity affect firm risk?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 26-53.
    23. Francis, Bill & Mani, Suresh Babu & Sharma, Zenu & Wu, Qiang, 2021. "The impact of organization capital on firm innovation," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    24. Huang, Jiekun & Kisgen, Darren J., 2013. "Gender and corporate finance: Are male executives overconfident relative to female executives?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(3), pages 822-839.
    25. David A. Carter & Betty J. Simkins & W. Gary Simpson, 2003. "Corporate Governance, Board Diversity, and Firm Value," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 38(1), pages 33-53, February.
    26. James R. Brown & Steven M. Fazzari & Bruce C. Petersen, 2009. "Financing Innovation and Growth: Cash Flow, External Equity, and the 1990s R&D Boom," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(1), pages 151-185, February.
    27. Konan Chan & Mei‐Xuan Li & Chu‐Bin Lin & Yanzhi Wang, 2022. "Organization capital effect in stock returns—The role of R&D," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(7-8), pages 1237-1263, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Girardone, Claudia & Kokas, Sotirios & Wood, Geoffrey, 2021. "Diversity and women in finance: Challenges and future perspectives," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Baghdadi, Ghasan A. & Safiullah, Md & Heyden, Mariano L.M., 2023. "Do gender diverse boards enhance managerial ability?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Nguyen, Thi Hong Hanh & Ntim, Collins G. & Malagila, John K., 2020. "Women on corporate boards and corporate financial and non-financial performance: A systematic literature review and future research agenda," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    4. Young Zik Shin & Jeung-Yoon Chang & Kyeongmin Jeon & Hyunpyo Kim, 2020. "Female directors on the board and investment efficiency: evidence from Korea," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(4), pages 438-479, September.
    5. Maria Fátima Ribeiro Borges & Graça Maria do Carmo Azevedo & Jonas Oliveira, 2025. "Literature review on gender diversity in top management teams of companies and its relationship with firm performance and audit quality," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 177-201, March.
    6. Huang, Yichu & Fang, Feifei & Fan, Yaoyao & Ly, Kim Cuong, 2024. "Do ‘Lehman Sisters’ work in China? Women on boards and bank risk," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    7. Yuan Chang & Kun-Tsung Wu & Shu-Hui Lin & Chia-Jung Lin, 2024. "Board gender diversity and corporate social responsibility," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-29, December.
    8. Leonardo Gambacorta & Alessio Reghezza & Martina Spaggiari & Livia Pancotto, 2022. "Gender diversity in bank boardrooms and green lending: evidence from euro area credit register data," BIS Working Papers 1044, Bank for International Settlements.
    9. Fang, Sheng & Goh, Chorching & Roberts, Mark & Xu, Lixin Colin & Zeufack, Albert, 2022. "Female entrepreneurs and productivity around the world: Rule of law, network, culture, and gender equality," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    10. Cardillo, Giovanni & Onali, Enrico & Torluccio, Giuseppe, 2021. "Does gender diversity on banks' boards matter? Evidence from public bailouts," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    11. García Lara, Juan Manuel & García Osma, Beatriz & Mora, Araceli & Scapin, Mariano, 2017. "The monitoring role of female directors over accounting quality," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 651-668.
    12. Elnahass, Marwa & Alharbi, Rana & Mohamed, Toka S. & McLaren, Josie, 2023. "The Nexus among board diversity and bank stability: Implications from gender, nationality and education," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    13. Alkhawaja, Abdallah & Hu, Fang & Johl, Shireenjit & Nadarajah, Sivathaasan, 2023. "Board gender diversity, quotas, and ESG disclosure: Global evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    14. Farag, Hisham & Mallin, Chris, 2017. "Board diversity and financial fragility: Evidence from European banks," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 98-112.
    15. Aitzaz Ahsan Alias Sarang & Nicolas Aubert & Xavier Hollandts, 2024. "Board gender diversity and the cost of equity: What difference does gender quota legislation make?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 2193-2213, April.
    16. Ding, Rong & Duan, Tinghua & Hou, Wenxuan & Liu, Xianda & Xu, Ziwei, 2022. "Do women drive corporate social responsibility? Evidence from gender diversity reforms around the world," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    17. Syed Shams & Kristina Minnick & Mehdi Khedmati & Abeyratna Gunasekarage, 2024. "Gender diversity and acquisitions: How female directors add value in acquisition decisions," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1-2), pages 113-147, January.
    18. Faccio, Mara & Marchica, Maria-Teresa & Mura, Roberto, 2016. "CEO gender, corporate risk-taking, and the efficiency of capital allocation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 193-209.
    19. McGuinness, Paul B., 2021. "Board member age, stock seasoning and the evolution of capital structure in Chinese firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    20. Jagadison K. Aier & Eun Hye Jo & Jung Wha (Jenny) Lee, 2024. "Female directors and cash holdings adjustment: Evidence from South Korea," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 64(4), pages 4217-4249, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:79:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325005173. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.