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Gender differences in CEO risk tolerance: A look at fixed pay

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  • Elkinawy, Susan
  • Hibbert, Ann Marie
  • Talukdar, Bakhtear

Abstract

The number of female Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in the United States has increased significantly over the past two decades. Using a sample that includes this greater representation of female CEOs, we revisit whether CEO compensation packages reflect the standard agency theoretical prediction that CEOs who are more (less) risk-averse should be incentivized to take on greater (less) risk. Our findings are at odds with these predictions, as we provide evidence that the well-documented gender difference in risk tolerance among CEOs is reflected in their compensation packages. While total CEO compensation is roughly equal between men and women, female CEOs earn significantly higher salaries, especially at larger firms.

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  • Elkinawy, Susan & Hibbert, Ann Marie & Talukdar, Bakhtear, 2023. "Gender differences in CEO risk tolerance: A look at fixed pay," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:glofin:v:57:y:2023:i:c:s1044028323000479
    DOI: 10.1016/j.gfj.2023.100852
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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    CEO salary; Corporate governance; Female CEO; Gender; Risk tolerance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • G41 - Financial Economics - - Behavioral Finance - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making in Financial Markets
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • J44 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Professional Labor Markets and Occupations

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