IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v179y2024ics0148296324002042.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Executive gender and firm leverage decisions: The role of firm ownership and governance

Author

Listed:
  • De Massis, Alfredo
  • Muñoz-Bullón, Fernando
  • Sanchez-Bueno, Maria J.
  • Velasco, Pilar
  • Vismara, Silvio

Abstract

Female leadership in strategic decision-making has received considerable attention in the context of global gender inequality. To advance our understanding of the role of executive gender in corporate financing decisions, we examine whether family firms are less likely to use leverage than their non-family counterparts when they have a female leader (considering CEO and board chair as leadership positions). In addition, we examine whether board independence influences gender differences in the use of leverage in family firms. Drawing on the behavioral agency model (BAM) and socioemotional wealth (SEW) theory, we develop and empirically test our hypotheses using a large dataset of firms from 40 countries. Our results show that family ownership increases the reluctance of female-led firms to use leverage, but board independence mitigates this effect.

Suggested Citation

  • De Massis, Alfredo & Muñoz-Bullón, Fernando & Sanchez-Bueno, Maria J. & Velasco, Pilar & Vismara, Silvio, 2024. "Executive gender and firm leverage decisions: The role of firm ownership and governance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:179:y:2024:i:c:s0148296324002042
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114700
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296324002042
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114700?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. Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W., 1989. "Management entrenchment : The case of manager-specific investments," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 123-139, November.
    2. Jennifer M. Knippen & Wei Shen & Qi Zhu, 2019. "Limited progress? The effect of external pressure for board gender diversity on the increase of female directors," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(7), pages 1123-1150, July.
    3. Elton, Edwin J & Gruber, Martin J & Blake, Christopher R, 1996. "Survivorship Bias and Mutual Fund Performance," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 9(4), pages 1097-1120.
    4. Fabio Bertoni & Michele Meoli & Silvio Vismara, 2014. "Board Independence, Ownership Structure and the Valuation of IPOs in Continental Europe," Post-Print hal-02313136, HAL.
    5. Renée B. Adams & Patricia Funk, 2012. "Beyond the Glass Ceiling: Does Gender Matter?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(2), pages 219-235, February.
    6. Pramodita Sharma & James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua & Lloyd P. Steier, 2020. "Family Firm Behavior From a Psychological Perspective," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(1), pages 3-19, January.
    7. Luis R. Gomez–Mejia & Joanna Tochman Campbell & Geoffrey Martin & Robert E. Hoskisson & Marianna Makri & David G. Sirmon, 2014. "Socioemotional Wealth as a Mixed Gamble: Revisiting Family Firm R&D Investments with the Behavioral Agency Model," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(6), pages 1351-1374, November.
    8. Daniel L. Mcconaughy & Charles H. Matthews & Anne S. Fialko, 2001. "Founding Family Controlled Firms: Performance, Risk, and Value," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 31-49, January.
    9. Samuel Benjamin & Mansi Mansi & Rakesh Pandey, 2020. "Board gender composition, board independence and sustainable supply chain responsibility," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(4), pages 3305-3339, December.
    10. Comino-Jurado, María & Sánchez-Andújar, Sonia & Parrado-Martínez, Purificación, 2021. "Reassessing debt-financing decisions in family firms: Family involvement on the board of directors and generational stage," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 426-435.
    11. Vincent Molly & Lorraine M. Uhlaner & Alfredo De Massis & Eddy Laveren, 2019. "Family-centered goals, family board representation, and debt financing," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 269-286, June.
    12. Powell, Melanie & Ansic, David, 1997. "Gender differences in risk behaviour in financial decision-making: An experimental analysis," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 18(6), pages 605-628, November.
    13. Cristina Bettinelli & Barbara Del Bosco & Chiara Giachino, 2019. "Women on Boards in Family Firms: What We Know and What We Need to Know," Springer Books, in: Esra Memili & Clay Dibrell (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook of Heterogeneity among Family Firms, chapter 9, pages 201-228, Springer.
    14. Arzubiaga, Unai & Kotlar, Josip & De Massis, Alfredo & Maseda, Amaia & Iturralde, Txomin, 2018. "Entrepreneurial orientation and innovation in family SMEs: Unveiling the (actual) impact of the Board of Directors," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 455-469.
    15. Cook, Jonathan & Kowaleski, Zachary T. & Minnis, Michael & Sutherland, Andrew & Zehms, Karla M., 2020. "Auditors are known by the companies they keep," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1).
    16. Murro, Pierluigi & Peruzzi, Valentina, 2019. "Family firms and access to credit. Is family ownership beneficial?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 173-187.
    17. repec:eme:maj000:maj-04-2018-1863 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Poletti-Hughes, Jannine & Briano-Turrent, Guadalupe C., 2019. "Gender diversity on the board of directors and corporate risk: A behavioural agency theory perspective," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 80-90.
    19. Debellis, Francesco & De Massis, Alfredo & Messeni Petruzzelli, Antonio & Frattini, Federico & Del Giudice, Manlio, 2021. "Strategic agility and international joint ventures: The willingness-ability paradox of family firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    20. Rakesh Pandey & Pallab Kumar Biswas & Muhammad Jahangir Ali & Mansi Mansi, 2020. "Female directors on the board and cost of debt: evidence from Australia," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(4), pages 4031-4060, December.
    21. Ettore Croci & John A. Doukas & Halit Gonenc, 2011. "Family Control and Financing Decisions," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 17(5), pages 860-897, November.
    22. Valentina Marano & Steve Sauerwald & Marc Essen, 2022. "The influence of culture on the relationship between women directors and corporate social performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(7), pages 1315-1342, September.
    23. Olof Brunninge & Mattias Nordqvist & Johan Wiklund, 2007. "Corporate Governance and Strategic Change in SMEs: The Effects of Ownership, Board Composition and Top Management Teams," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 295-308, October.
    24. Rachel Croson & Uri Gneezy, 2009. "Gender Differences in Preferences," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(2), pages 448-474, June.
    25. Samuel Baixauli-Soler, J. & Belda-Ruiz, María & Sánchez-Marín, Gregorio, 2021. "Socioemotional wealth and financial decisions in private family SMEs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 657-668.
    26. Faccio, Mara & Marchica, Maria-Teresa & Mura, Roberto, 2016. "CEO gender, corporate risk-taking, and the efficiency of capital allocation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 193-209.
    27. Shikimi, Masayo & Yamada, Kazuo, 2019. "Trade and financial channels as the transmission mechanism of the financial crisis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 364-381.
    28. Lu, Jun & Wang, Wei, 2018. "Managerial conservatism, board independence and corporate innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 1-16.
    29. Flannery, Mark J. & Rangan, Kasturi P., 2006. "Partial adjustment toward target capital structures," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(3), pages 469-506, March.
    30. Mario Daniele Amore & Orsola Garofalo & Alessandro Minichilli, 2014. "Gender Interactions Within the Family Firm," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(5), pages 1083-1097, May.
    31. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    32. Davila, Jessenia & Duran, Patricio & Gómez-Mejía, Luis & Sanchez-Bueno, Maria J., 2023. "Socioemotional wealth and family firm performance: A meta-analytic integration," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 14(2).
    33. Jin-hui Luo & Zeyue Huang & Xue Li & Xiaojing Lin, 2018. "Are Women CEOs Valuable in Terms of Bank Loan Costs? Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(2), pages 337-355, December.
    34. Rajan, Raghuram G & Zingales, Luigi, 1995. "What Do We Know about Capital Structure? Some Evidence from International Data," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1421-1460, December.
    35. Amal Aouadi & Sylvain Marsat, 2018. "Do ESG Controversies Matter for Firm Value? Evidence from International Data," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(4), pages 1027-1047, September.
    36. Torchia, Mariateresa & Calabrò, Andrea & Gabaldon, Patricia & Kanadli, Sadi Bogac, 2018. "Women directors contribution to organizational innovation: A behavioral approach," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 215-224.
    37. Sila, Vathunyoo & Gonzalez, Angelica & Hagendorff, Jens, 2016. "Women on board: Does boardroom gender diversity affect firm risk?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 26-53.
    38. Saona, Paolo & Vallelado, Eleuterio & San Martín, Pablo, 2020. "Debt, or not debt, that is the question: A Shakespearean question to a corporate decision," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 378-392.
    39. Scholes, Louise & Hughes, Mathew & Wright, Mike & De Massis, Alfredo & Kotlar, Josip, 2021. "Family management and family guardianship: Governance effects on family firm innovation strategy," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 12(4).
    40. Luis R. Gómez-Mejia & Francesco Chirico & Geoffrey Martin & Massimo Baù, 2023. "Best Among the Worst or Worst Among the Best? Socioemotional Wealth and Risk-Performance Returns for Family and Non-family Firms Under Financial Distress," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(4), pages 1031-1058, July.
    41. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    42. Talia Pfefferman & Michal Frenkel & Sharon Gilad, 2022. "On Gendered Justification: A Framework for Understanding Men's and Women's Entrepreneurial Resource‐Acquisition," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(2), pages 249-283, March.
    43. Khan, Huda & Zahoor, Nadia & Gerged, Ali Meftah & Tarba, Shlomo & Makrides, Anna, 2022. "The efficacy of market sensing and family-controlled board in the new product development performance of family firms in emerging market," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 673-684.
    44. Wang, Joyce C. & Zhao, Yiyi & Sun, Sunny L. & Zhu, Jigao, 2023. "Female-friendly boards in family firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    45. Ivan Miroshnychenko & Alfredo De Massis & Danny Miller & Roberto Barontini, 2021. "Family Business Growth Around the World," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(4), pages 682-708, July.
    46. Schopohl, Lisa & Urquhart, Andrew & Zhang, Hanxiong, 2021. "Female CFOs, leverage and the moderating role of board diversity and CEO power," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    47. Christian Koropp & Dietmar Grichnik & Franz Kellermanns, 2013. "Financial Attitudes in Family Firms: The Moderating Role of Family Commitment," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(1), pages 114-137, January.
    48. Fuente, Gabriel de la & Velasco, Pilar, 2020. "Capital structure and corporate diversification: Is debt a panacea for the diversification discount?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    49. Alessandro Cirillo & Luca Pennacchio & Maria Rosaria Carillo & Mauro Romano, 2021. "The antecedents of entrepreneurial risk-taking in private family firms: CEO seasons and contingency factors," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1571-1590, April.
    50. repec:eme:majpps:maj-04-2018-1863 is not listed on IDEAS
    51. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    52. Chua, Jess H. & Chrisman, James J. & Kellermanns, Franz & Wu, Zhenyu, 2011. "Family involvement and new venture debt financing," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 472-488, July.
    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. Fernando Muñoz-Bullón & Maria J. Sanchez-Bueno & Pilar Velasco, 2024. "Exploring the link between family ownership and leverage: a mediating pathway through socioemotional wealth objectives," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(11), pages 3203-3252, November.
    2. Zona, Fabio & Pesci, Caterina & Zamarian, Marco, 2024. "CEO risk preferences in family firms: Combining socioemotional wealth and gender identity perspectives," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(2).
    3. Cambrea, Domenico Rocco & Ponomareva, Yuliya & Pittino, Daniel & Minichilli, Alessandro, 2022. "Strings attached: Socioemotional wealth mixed gambles in the cash management choices of family firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(3).
    4. Virginia Blanco-Mazagatos & M. Elena Romero-Merino & Marcos Santamaría-Mariscal & Juan Bautista Delgado-García, 2024. "One more piece of the family firm debt puzzle: the influence of socioemotional wealth dimensions," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(2), pages 831-849, August.
    5. Maria Giuseppina Bruna & Rey Dang & Marie-José Scotto & Aymen Ammari, 2019. "Does board gender diversity affect firm risk-taking? Evidence from the French stock market," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 23(4), pages 915-938, December.
    6. Mário Santos & António Moreira & Elisabete Vieira, 2014. "Ownership concentration, contestability, family firms, and capital structure," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 18(4), pages 1063-1107, November.
    7. Cardillo, Giovanni & Onali, Enrico & Torluccio, Giuseppe, 2021. "Does gender diversity on banks' boards matter? Evidence from public bailouts," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    8. Rigolini, Alessandra & Gabaldon, Patricia & Le Bruyn Goldeng, Eskil, 2021. "CEO succession with gender change in troubled companies: The effect of a new woman CEO on firm risk and firm risk perceived," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1).
    9. Garanina, Tatiana & Muravyev, Alexander, 2021. "The gender composition of corporate boards and firm performance: Evidence from Russia," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    10. García-Meca, Emma & López-Iturriaga, Félix J. & Santana-Martín, Domingo Javier, 2022. "Board gender diversity and dividend payout: The critical mass and the family ties effect," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    11. Fabrizio Rossi & Richard J. Cebula & James R. Barth, 2018. "Female representation in the boardroom and firm debt: empirical evidence from Italy," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 42(2), pages 315-338, April.
    12. Tutun Mukherjee & Som Sankar Sen, 2022. "Impact of CEO attributes on corporate reputation, financial performance, and corporate sustainable growth: evidence from India," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 1-50, December.
    13. Filipe Sardo & Elisabete S. Vieira & Zélia Serrasqueiro, 2022. "The role of gender and succession on the debt adjustments of family firm capital structure," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(2), pages 349-372, June.
    14. Pindado, Julio & Requejo, Ignacio & Rivera, Juan C., 2017. "Economic forecast and corporate leverage choices: The role of the institutional environment," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 121-144.
    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. McGuinness, Paul B., 2021. "Board member age, stock seasoning and the evolution of capital structure in Chinese firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    17. García Lara, Juan Manuel & García Osma, Beatriz & Mora, Araceli & Scapin, Mariano, 2017. "The monitoring role of female directors over accounting quality," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 651-668.
    18. Cao, Feng & Li, Sifei & Dai, Ming & Li, Jing, 2023. "Your heart is where your treasure is: Family chairman and tax avoidance in family-controlled firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    19. Krystyniak, Karolina & Staneva, Viktoriya, 2024. "Executive gender and capital structure: New evidence from rebalancing events," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    20. J. Samuel Baixauli-Soler & Maria Belda-Ruiz & Gregorio Sanchez-Marin, 2017. "An executive hierarchy analysis of stock options: Does gender matter?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 737-766, October.

    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:eee:jbrese:v:179:y:2024:i:c:s0148296324002042. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    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.