IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/corsem/v26y2019i6p1485-1499.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of women leaders on environmental performance: Evidence on gender diversity in banks

Author

Listed:
  • Giuliana Birindelli
  • Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi
  • Marco Savioli

Abstract

This study analyses the impact of women leaders on environmental performance in a sample of 96 listed banks in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region from 2011 to 2016. Gender diversity in leadership positions is explored through women in the board of directors, chief executive officer gender, and the interaction between these two aspects. This study sheds light on inconsistent results in prior literature by testing three theoretical perspectives: gender difference, critical mass, and homophily. The main results suggest that there is nonlinear relationship between women directors and the environmental performance of banks and that female chief executive officers play a strategic role in shaping this relationship, by confirming the homophily perspective for the banking sector. Therefore, leader gender diversity is an important driver of environmental sustainability in banks, which are increasingly involved in environmental issues either directly, as companies, or indirectly, through their lending activity.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuliana Birindelli & Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi & Marco Savioli, 2019. "The impact of women leaders on environmental performance: Evidence on gender diversity in banks," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1485-1499, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:26:y:2019:i:6:p:1485-1499
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1762
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1762
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/csr.1762?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ming Jia & Zhe Zhang, 2013. "Critical Mass of Women on BODs, Multiple Identities, and Corporate Philanthropic Disaster Response: Evidence from Privately Owned Chinese Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 303-317, December.
    2. Owen, Ann L. & Temesvary, Judit, 2018. "The performance effects of gender diversity on bank boards," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 50-63.
    3. Ioanna Boulouta, 2013. "Hidden Connections: The Link Between Board Gender Diversity and Corporate Social Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(2), pages 185-197, March.
    4. Marlene Karl, 2015. "Are Ethical and Social Banks Less Risky? Evidence from a New Dataset. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 96," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 58138, March.
    5. Pathan, Shams & Faff, Robert, 2013. "Does board structure in banks really affect their performance?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 1573-1589.
    6. Christy Glass & Alison Cook & Alicia R. Ingersoll, 2016. "Do Women Leaders Promote Sustainability? Analyzing the Effect of Corporate Governance Composition on Environmental Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(7), pages 495-511, November.
    7. Jasmin Joecks & Kerstin Pull & Karin Vetter, 2013. "Gender Diversity in the Boardroom and Firm Performance: What Exactly Constitutes a “Critical Mass?”," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 61-72, November.
    8. Ruth Mateos de Cabo & Ricardo Gimeno & María Nieto, 2012. "Gender Diversity on European Banks’ Boards of Directors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(2), pages 145-162, August.
    9. Karl Widerquist, 2018. "The Bottom Line," Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee, in: A Critical Analysis of Basic Income Experiments for Researchers, Policymakers, and Citizens, chapter 0, pages 93-98, Palgrave Macmillan.
    10. Zulkufly Ramly & Sok-Gee Chan & Mohd Zulkhairi Mustapha & Noor Sharoja Sapiei, 2017. "Women on boards and bank efficiency in ASEAN-5: the moderating role of the independent directors," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 225-250, January.
    11. Liu, Chelsea, 2018. "Are women greener? Corporate gender diversity and environmental violations," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 118-142.
    12. George Kassinis & Alexia Panayiotou & Andreas Dimou & Georgia Katsifaraki, 2016. "Gender and Environmental Sustainability: A Longitudinal Analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(6), pages 399-412, November.
    13. Nicola Cucari & Salvatore Esposito De Falco & Beatrice Orlando, 2018. "Diversity of Board of Directors and Environmental Social Governance: Evidence from Italian Listed Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(3), pages 250-266, May.
    14. Siri Terjesen & Val Singh, 2008. "Female Presence on Corporate Boards: A Multi-Country Study of Environmental Context," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 83(1), pages 55-63, November.
    15. 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.
    16. Walid Ben-Amar & Millicent Chang & Philip McIlkenny, 2017. "Board Gender Diversity and Corporate Response to Sustainability Initiatives: Evidence from the Carbon Disclosure Project," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(2), pages 369-383, May.
    17. Strøm, Reidar Øystein & D’Espallier, Bert & Mersland, Roy, 2014. "Female leadership, performance, and governance in microfinance institutions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 60-75.
    18. Galbreath, Jeremy, 2011. "Are there gender-related influences on corporate sustainability? A study of women on boards of directors," Journal of Management & Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(1), pages 17-38, January.
    19. Berger, Allen N. & Kick, Thomas & Schaeck, Klaus, 2014. "Executive board composition and bank risk taking," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 48-65.
    20. Ms. Ratna Sahay & Mr. Martin Cihak & Mr. Papa M N'Diaye & Mr. Adolfo Barajas & Ms. Annette J Kyobe & Ms. Srobona Mitra & Yen N Mooi & Mr. Seyed Reza Yousefi, 2017. "Banking on Women Leaders: A Case for More?," IMF Working Papers 2017/199, International Monetary Fund.
    21. Bell, Linda A., 2005. "Women-Led Firms and the Gender Gap in Top Executive Jobs," IZA Discussion Papers 1689, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    22. George E. Halkos & Michael L. Polemis, 2017. "Does Financial Development Affect Environmental Degradation? Evidence from the OECD Countries," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1162-1180, December.
    23. Won‐Moo Hur & Hanna Kim & Joon Hyo Jang, 2016. "The Role of Gender Differences in the Impact of CSR Perceptions on Corporate Marketing Outcomes," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(6), pages 345-357, November.
    24. Akrum Helfaya & Tantawy Moussa, 2017. "Do Board's Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and Orientation Influence Environmental Sustainability Disclosure? UK Evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1061-1077, December.
    25. Farag, Hisham & Mallin, Chris, 2017. "Board diversity and financial fragility: Evidence from European banks," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 98-112.
    26. Belen Fernandez‐Feijoo & Silvia Romero & Silvia Ruiz‐Blanco, 2014. "Women on Boards: Do They Affect Sustainability Reporting?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(6), pages 351-364, November.
    27. Cornett, Marcia Millon & Erhemjamts, Otgontsetseg & Tehranian, Hassan, 2016. "Greed or good deeds: An examination of the relation between corporate social responsibility and the financial performance of U.S. commercial banks around the financial crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 137-159.
    28. Liao, Lin & Luo, Le & Tang, Qingliang, 2015. "Gender diversity, board independence, environmental committee and greenhouse gas disclosure," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 409-424.
    29. Izaskun Agirre Aramburu & Irune Gómez Pescador, 2019. "The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Customer Loyalty: The Mediating Effect of Reputation in Cooperative Banks Versus Commercial Banks in the Basque Country," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(3), pages 701-719, February.
    30. Marlene Karl, 2015. "Are Ethical and Social Banks Less Risky? Evidence from a New Dataset," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1484, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    31. David A. Matsa & Amalia R. Miller, 2013. "A Female Style in Corporate Leadership? Evidence from Quotas," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 5(3), pages 136-169, July.
    32. Sarah Childs & Mona Lena Krook, 2008. "Critical Mass Theory and Women's Political Representation," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 56(3), pages 725-736, October.
    33. Ronald J. Burke, 1997. "Women Directors: Selection, Acceptance and Benefits of Board Membership," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 5(3), pages 118-125, July.
    34. Sarah Childs & Mona Lena Krook, 2008. "Critical Mass Theory and Women's Political Representation," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 56, pages 725-736, October.
    35. Adams, Renée B. & Ferreira, Daniel, 2009. "Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(2), pages 291-309, November.
    36. Berger, Allen N. & Kick, Thomas & Koetter, Michael & Schaeck, Klaus, 2013. "Does it pay to have friends? Social ties and executive appointments in banking," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 2087-2105.
    37. Satu Pätäri & Ari Jantunen & Kalevi Kyläheiko & Jaana Sandström, 2012. "Does Sustainable Development Foster Value Creation? Empirical Evidence from the Global Energy Industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(6), pages 317-326, November.
    38. Ajay Palvia & Emilia Vähämaa & Sami Vähämaa, 2015. "Are Female CEOs and Chairwomen More Conservative and Risk Averse? Evidence from the Banking Industry During the Financial Crisis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(3), pages 577-594, October.
    39. Cristina Ciocirlan & Caroline Pettersson, 2012. "Does Workforce Diversity Matter in the Fight against Climate Change? An Analysis of Fortune 500 Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(1), pages 47-62, January.
    40. Paul Mohai & David Kershner, 2002. "Race and Environmental Voting in the U.S. Congress," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 83(1), pages 167-189, March.
    41. Tate, Geoffrey & Yang, Liu, 2015. "Female leadership and gender equity: Evidence from plant closure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(1), pages 77-97.
    42. Andreas Andrikopoulos & Nikoleta Kriklani, 2013. "Environmental Disclosure and Financial Characteristics of the Firm: The Case of Denmark," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(1), pages 55-64, January.
    43. Adalberto Alberici & Francesca Querci, 2016. "The Quality of Disclosures on Environmental Policy: The Profile of Financial Intermediaries," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(5), pages 283-296, September.
    44. Borghesi, Richard & Houston, Joel F. & Naranjo, Andy, 2014. "Corporate socially responsible investments: CEO altruism, reputation, and shareholder interests," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 164-181.
    45. 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.
    46. Mary Ellen Carter & Francesca Franco & Mireia Gine, 2017. "Executive Gender Pay Gaps: The Roles of Female Risk Aversion and Board Representation," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(2), pages 1232-1264, June.
    47. Xinfeng Jiang & Ahsan Akbar, 2018. "Does Increased Representation of Female Executives Improve Corporate Environmental Investment? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-19, December.
    48. Hoje Jo & Hakkon Kim & Kwangwoo Park, 2015. "Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Firm Performance in the Financial Services Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 257-284, October.
    49. Judith L. Walls & Pascual Berrone & Phillip H. Phan, 2012. "Corporate governance and environmental performance: is there really a link?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 885-913, August.
    50. Nazim Hussain & Ugo Rigoni & René P. Orij, 2018. "Corporate Governance and Sustainability Performance: Analysis of Triple Bottom Line Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 411-432, May.
    51. Vi‐in Hu & Bert Scholtens, 2014. "Corporate Social Responsibility Policies of Commercial Banks in Developing Countries," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(4), pages 276-288, July.
    52. Shihping Kevin Huang, 2013. "The Impact of CEO Characteristics on Corporate Sustainable Development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(4), pages 234-244, July.
    53. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero & Emma García‐Meca, 2018. "Board of Directors and CSR in Banking: The Moderating Role of Bank Regulation and Investor Protection Strength," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 28(3), pages 428-445, September.
    54. Mikko Manner, 2010. "The Impact of CEO Characteristics on Corporate Social Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 93(1), pages 53-72, June.
    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. Giuliana Birindelli & Stefano Dell’Atti & Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi & Marco Savioli, 2018. "Composition and Activity of the Board of Directors: Impact on ESG Performance in the Banking System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, December.
    2. 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).
    3. Kara, Alper & Nanteza, Aziidah & Ozkan, Aydin & Yildiz, Yilmaz, 2022. "Board gender diversity and responsible banking during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    4. Ayman Issa & Mohammad A. A. Zaid & Jalal Rajeh Hanaysha, 2022. "Exploring the relationship between female director's profile and sustainability performance: Evidence from the Middle East," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(6), pages 1980-2002, September.
    5. Simona Galletta & Sebastiano Mazzù & Valeria Naciti & Carlo Vermiglio, 2022. "Gender diversity and sustainability performance in the banking industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(1), pages 161-174, January.
    6. 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.
    7. Saleh F. A. Khatib & Dewi Fariha Abdullah & Ahmed A. Elamer & Raed Abueid, 2021. "Nudging toward diversity in the boardroom: A systematic literature review of board diversity of financial institutions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 985-1002, February.
    8. María‐Florencia Amorelli & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2021. "Trends in the dynamic evolution of board gender diversity and corporate social responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 537-554, March.
    9. 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.
    10. Elisa Menicucci & Guido Paolucci, 2022. "Board Diversity and ESG Performance: Evidence from the Italian Banking Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    11. Lorenzo Ardito & Rosa Maria Dangelico & Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli, 2021. "The link between female representation in the boards of directors and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from B corps," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 704-720, March.
    12. Atif, Muhammad & Hossain, Mohammed & Alam, Md Samsul & Goergen, Marc, 2021. "Does board gender diversity affect renewable energy consumption?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    13. Clara Gallego-Sosa & Yakira Fernández-Torres & Milagros Gutiérrez-Fernández, 2020. "Does Gender Diversity Affect the Environmental Performance of Banks?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-15, December.
    14. Shubham Singhania & Jagvinder Singh & Deepti Aggrawal, 2023. "Gender diversity on board and corporate sustainability: a quantitative review based on bibliometric mapping," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 14(1), pages 267-286, February.
    15. Liu, Chelsea, 2021. "CEO gender and employee relations: Evidence from labor lawsuits," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    16. Jing Lu & Irene M. Herremans, 2019. "Board gender diversity and environmental performance: An industries perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(7), pages 1449-1464, November.
    17. Konadu, Renata & Ahinful, Gabriel Sam & Boakye, Danquah Jeff & Elbardan, Hany, 2022. "Board gender diversity, environmental innovation and corporate carbon emissions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    18. Claudio Nuber & Patrick Velte, 2021. "Board gender diversity and carbon emissions: European evidence on curvilinear relationships and critical mass," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1958-1992, May.
    19. Thi H.H. Nguyen & Mohamed H. Elmagrhi & Collins G. Ntim & Yue Wu, 2021. "Environmental performance, sustainability, governance and financial performance: Evidence from heavily polluting industries in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2313-2331, July.
    20. Venturelli, Valeria & Pedrazzoli, Alessia & Pennetta, Daniela & Gualandri, Elisabetta, 2024. "Pinkwashing in the banking industry: The relevance of board characteristics," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PB).

    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:corsem:v:26:y:2019:i:6:p:1485-1499. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1535-3966 .

    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.