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Does gender-balancing the board reduce firm value?

Author

Listed:
  • Thorburn, Karin S
  • Eckbo, B Espen
  • Nygaard, Knut
Abstract
A board gender quota reduces firm value if it forces the appointment of under-qualified female directors. We examine this costly constraint hypothesis using the natural experiment created by Norway's 2005 board gender-quota law. This law drove the average fraction of female directors from 5% in 2001 to 40% by 2008, producing a large exogenous shock to director experience and independence. However, statistically robust analyses of quota-induced shareholder announcement returns, and of long-run stock and accounting performance, fail to reject the hypothesis of a zero valuation effect of this shock to board composition. Moreover, firms did not expand board size, nor is there significant evidence of quota-induced corporate conversions to a (non-public) legal form exempted from the quota law. Finally, our evidence on female director turnover and a novel network-based measure of director gender-power gap also fails to suggest that qualified female directors were in short supply.

Suggested Citation

  • Thorburn, Karin S & Eckbo, B Espen & Nygaard, Knut, 2016. "Does gender-balancing the board reduce firm value?," CEPR Discussion Papers 11176, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:11176
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    Cited by:

    1. Valeria Gattai & Piergiovanna Natale & Francesca Rossi, 2022. "Board Diversity and Outward FDI: Evidence from Europe," Working Papers 491, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Mar 2022.
    2. Ferreira, Daniel & Ginglinger, Edith & Laguna, Marie-Aude & Skalli, Yasmine, 2017. "Board Quotas and Director-Firm Matching," CEPR Discussion Papers 12117, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Garanina, Tatiana & Muravyev, Alexander, 2021. "The gender composition of corporate boards and firm performance: Evidence from Russia," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    4. Dayana Mastura Baharudin & Maran Marimuthu, 2020. "The Senior Independent Director’s Evolving Role Across the Top 100 Malaysian PLCs: MCCG 2012 vs MCCG 2017," Business Management and Strategy, Macrothink Institute, vol. 11(2), pages 79-93, December.
    5. Kilian Huber & Volker Lindenthal & Fabian Waldinger, 2021. "Discrimination, Managers, and Firm Performance: Evidence from “Aryanizations” in Nazi Germany," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(9), pages 2455-2503.
    6. Meier, Kristina & Niessen-Ruenzi, Alexandra & Ruenzi, Stefan, 2018. "The impact of role models on women's self-selection in competitive environments," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181589, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    7. Irma Martinez-Garcia & Silvia Gomez-Anson, 2020. "Regulación de género en los consejos de administración: El papel moderador del entorno institucional," CNMV Documentos de Trabajo CNMV Documentos de Trabaj, CNMV- Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores - Departamento de Estudios y Estadísticas.
    8. Donato Masciandaro & Paola Profeta & Davide Romelli, 2020. "Do Women Matter in Monetary Policy Boards?," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 20148, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    9. 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).
    10. Sato, Yoshihiro & Ando, Michihito, 2017. "Does Assigning More Women to Managerial Positions Enhance Firm Productivity? Evidence from Sweden," EIJS Working Paper Series 242, Stockholm School of Economics, The European Institute of Japanese Studies.
    11. Tyrefors, Björn & Jansson, Joakim, 2017. "Gender Quotas in the Board Room and Firm Performance: Evidence from a Credible Threat in Sweden," Working Paper Series 1165, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    12. Gattai, Valeria & Natale, Piergiovanna & Rossi, Francesca, 2023. "Board diversity and outward FDI: Evidence from europe," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    13. Koray Aktas & Valeria Gattai & Piergiovanna Natale, 2021. "Board Gender Quotas and Outward Foreign Direct Investment: Evidence from France," Working Papers 485, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Dec 2021.
    14. Frattaroli, Marc, 2020. "Does protectionist anti-takeover legislation lead to managerial entrenchment?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 106-136.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender quota; Director independence; Valuation effect; Corporate conversion; Busy directors; Director network power; Long-run performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • G35 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Payout Policy

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