IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/sustdv/v34y2026i4p5515-5527.html

Does Adopting Sustainable Development Goals Drive Corporate Change? The Case of the Goal on Gender Equality

Author

Listed:
  • Josep Garcia‐Blandon
  • Josep Maria Argilés‐Bosch
  • Diego Ravenda
  • David Castillo‐Merino

Abstract

This study investigates whether firms' adoption of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on gender equality leads to measurable improvements in gender diversity within corporate leadership. Using a sample of large European firms from 2016 to 2023, we apply a difference‐in‐differences methodology to compare gender diversity outcomes between firms that have formally adopted SDG 5 in their sustainability strategies and those that have not. Gender diversity is assessed at three leadership levels: board representation, the C‐suite, and senior management. The results indicate that adoption of SDG 5 does not significantly improve gender diversity at any of these levels, suggesting that while firms may publicly adopt SDG 5, this often does not translate into meaningful internal changes or behavioral adherence. Our findings align with the growing literature on “SDG‐washing,” where organizations signal support for global goals without implementing substantive reforms. By highlighting the gap between symbolic adoption and actual outcomes, this study contributes to the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR), gender diversity, and the effectiveness of voluntary sustainability frameworks. Implications for policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Josep Garcia‐Blandon & Josep Maria Argilés‐Bosch & Diego Ravenda & David Castillo‐Merino, 2026. "Does Adopting Sustainable Development Goals Drive Corporate Change? The Case of the Goal on Gender Equality," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(4), pages 5515-5527, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:34:y:2026:i:4:p:5515-5527
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.70607
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70607
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sd.70607?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
    ---><---

    More about this item

    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:wly:sustdv:v:34:y:2026:i:4:p:5515-5527. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1719 .

    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.