IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jmgtgv/v28y2024i2d10.1007_s10997-022-09664-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The gender gap: what about board members’ perspective?

Author

Listed:
  • Hanen Khemakhem

    (ESG UQAM)

  • Manel Maalej

    (University of Sfax)

Abstract

The gender gap in the boardroom has received a great deal of attention in the literature. However, little is known about what causes the gender gap in the boardroom, especially from board members’ perspective. This paper aims to produce a deeper understanding of the gender gap, based on evidence from 29 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with board members. Our study reveals that the best ways to access a board position are through networks and job positions. However, for most participants, being a board member is still perceived as a male-dominated position. Due to this perception, female board members can experience lower self-efficacy at first, questioning their abilities to join the board. Our study reveals several ways to act on the gender gap in the boardroom. Seeing female role models on the board, having a positive experience as board members and receiving effective training can all enhance women’s self-efficacy. Also, leaders who are in favor of having women on the board, organizational policies, and mandatory quotas of women on the board can contribute to reducing the gender gap. Our study provides a deeper understanding of the challenges facing women when accessing a top role such as a board position. Our findings can help policy-makers and organizations act on the gender gap in the boardroom.

Suggested Citation

  • Hanen Khemakhem & Manel Maalej, 2024. "The gender gap: what about board members’ perspective?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 28(2), pages 483-506, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jmgtgv:v:28:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s10997-022-09664-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10997-022-09664-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10997-022-09664-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10997-022-09664-3?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 search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sara Diogo & Teresa Carvalho & Zélia Breda, 2021. "Nomination vs. election: do they influence women’s access to institutional decision-making bodies?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 25(3), pages 879-898, September.
    2. Jie Huang & Marjo-Riitta Diehl & Sandra Paterlini, 2020. "The Influence of Corporate Elites on Women on Supervisory Boards: Female Directors’ Inclusion in Germany," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(2), pages 347-364, August.
    3. Marianne Bertrand & Sandra E Black & Sissel Jensen & Adriana Lleras-Muney, 2019. "Breaking the Glass Ceiling? The Effect of Board Quotas on Female Labour Market Outcomes in Norway," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 86(1), pages 191-239.
    4. Elise Perrault, 2015. "Why Does Board Gender Diversity Matter and How Do We Get There? The Role of Shareholder Activism in Deinstitutionalizing Old Boys’ Networks," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 149-165, April.
    5. Nurlan Orazalin & Mady Baydauletov, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility strategy and corporate environmental and social performance: The moderating role of board gender diversity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1664-1676, July.
    6. Jacob Mincer & Solomon Polachek, 1974. "Family Investments in Human Capital: Earnings of Women," NBER Chapters, in: Marriage, Family, Human Capital, and Fertility, pages 76-110, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Réal Labelle & Claude Francoeur & Faten Lakhal, 2015. "To Regulate Or Not To Regulate? Early Evidence on the Means Used Around the World to Promote Gender Diversity in the Boardroom," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(4), pages 339-363, July.
    8. Helen Kang & Mandy Cheng & Sidney J. Gray, 2007. "Corporate Governance and Board Composition: diversity and independence of Australian boards," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(2), pages 194-207, March.
    9. Krista B. Lewellyn & Maureen I. Muller-Kahle, 2020. "The Corporate Board Glass Ceiling: The Role of Empowerment and Culture in Shaping Board Gender Diversity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(2), pages 329-346, August.
    10. Sudheer Reddy & Aditya Mohan Jadhav, 2019. "Gender diversity in boardrooms – A literature review," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 1644703-164, January.
    11. Nina Smith & Pierpaolo Parrotta, 2018. "Why so Few Women on Boards of Directors? Empirical Evidence from Danish Companies in 1998–2010," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 445-467, January.
    12. Richard A. Bernardi & David F. Bean & Kristen M. Weippert, 2002. "Signaling gender diversity through annual report pictures," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 15(4), pages 609-616, October.
    13. Szymon Kaczmarek & Richard Nyuur, 2022. "The implications of board nationality and gender diversity: evidence from a qualitative comparative analysis," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 26(3), pages 707-733, September.
    14. Val Singh & Susan Vinnicombe, 2004. "Why So Few Women Directors in Top UK Boardrooms? Evidence and Theoretical Explanations," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(4), pages 479-488, October.
    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. 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).
    2. Heike Mensi-Klarbach & Stephan Leixnering & Michael Schiffinger, 2021. "The Carrot or the Stick: Self-Regulation for Gender-Diverse Boards via Codes of Good Governance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 170(3), pages 577-593, May.
    3. Gillian Warner-Søderholm & Patricia Gabaldon Quinones & Cathrine Seierstad & Carl Åberg, 2023. "Getting More Women on Boards: Cultural and Institutional Antecedents That Matter," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, August.
    4. Katarzyna Burzynska & Gabriela Contreras, 2020. "Affirmative action programs and network benefits in the number of board positions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-26, August.
    5. Liu, Haiming & Liang, Quanxi & Ling, Leng, 2022. "Underrepresentation of female CEOs in China: The role of culture, market forces, and foreign experience of directors," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    6. Paul B. McGuinness & João Paulo Vieito & Mingzhu Wang, 2020. "Proactive government intervention, board gender balance, and stakeholder engagement in China and Europe," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 719-762, September.
    7. Nadia Loukil & Ouidad Yousfi, 2022. "Do CEO’s traits matter in innovation outcomes?," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 375-403, September.
    8. Peter J Baldacchino & Jean Paul Abela & Norbert Tabone & Simon Grima, 2021. "Board of Director Diversity and Its Corporate Governance Implications in Maltese Equity-Listed Companies," International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, International Journal of Finance, Insurance and Risk Management, vol. 11(4), pages 37-65.
    9. María Consuelo Pucheta‐Martínez & Inmaculada Bel‐Oms & Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility reporting and capital structure: Does board gender diversity mind in such association?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(4), pages 1588-1600, July.
    10. Silvia Sinicropi & Damiano Cortese, 2021. "(Re)Thinking diversity within sustainable development: A systematic mapping study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 299-309, January.
    11. Jennifer Y. Kim & Alyson Meister, 2023. "Microaggressions, Interrupted: The Experience and Effects of Gender Microaggressions for Women in STEM," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(3), pages 513-531, July.
    12. Paola Belingheri & Filippo Chiarello & Andrea Fronzetti Colladon & Paola Rovelli, 2021. "Twenty years of gender equality research: A scoping review based on a new semantic indicatorr," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-27, September.
    13. Collins Ntim, 2015. "Board diversity and organizational valuation: unravelling the effects of ethnicity and gender," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 19(1), pages 167-195, February.
    14. Mijntje Lückerath-Rovers, 2013. "Women on boards and firm performance," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 17(2), pages 491-509, May.
    15. Mariasole Bannò & Giorgia Maria D’Allura & Graziano Coller & Celeste Varum, 2023. "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus: on lenders’ stereotypical views and the implications for a firm’s debt," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(2), pages 651-687, June.
    16. Mahmoud Ahmed, 2023. "The long-term effects of female board representation on accounting quality: Causal evidence," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(2), pages 109-118, June.
    17. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 2017. "The Gender Wage Gap: Extent, Trends, and Explanations," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 55(3), pages 789-865, September.
    18. Halit Gonenc & Antonina V. Krasnikova, 2022. "Board Gender Diversity and Voluntary Carbon Emission Disclosure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-18, November.
    19. Rita Goyal & Nada Kakabadse & Andrew Kakabadse & Danielle Talbot, 2023. "Female board directors' resilience against gender discrimination," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 197-222, January.
    20. Fortin, Nicole M. & Bell, Brian & Böhm, Michael, 2017. "Top earnings inequality and the gender pay gap: Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 107-123.

    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:kap:jmgtgv:v:28:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s10997-022-09664-3. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.