Does board gender diversity influence voluntary IFRS adoption in social enterprises? Evidence from microfinance institutions

PurposeThis study examines the effect of board gender diversity on the voluntary adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards in social sector firms, such as microfinance institutions.Design/methodology/approachWe apply a pooled probit model, controlling for year fixed effects to a sample of 1,446 MFI audited financial statement year observations from the MIX market over the period from 2009 to 2015.FindingsOur results suggest that greater gender diversity on the boards of MFIs increases the likelihood of choosing non-IFRS accounting standards. This effect is particularly pronounced for non-profit MFIs. In particular, MFIs with female-dominated boards are more likely to use non-IFRS standards to prepare their financial statements.Originality/valueOur study is based on two key observations: (1) the lack of consensus in empirical research on the factors associated with, driven by, or resulting from, female board representation in microfinance institutions, along with the inconclusive findings on the effects of board gender diversity; and (2) the empirical gap on the relationship between board gender diversity and IFRS adoption in the microfinance sector.