Gender quotas on corporate boards of directors

Nina Smith and Emma von Essen

World of Labour, 2025, No 7v3, 7v3

Abstract: Arguments for increasing gender diversity on corporate boards of directors by gender quotas range from ensuring equal opportunity to improving firm performance. The introduction of gender quotas in a number of countries, mainly in Europe, has increased female representation on boards. Current research does not unambiguously justify gender quotas on grounds of economic efficiency. In many countries, the number of women in top executive positions is limited, and it is not clear from the evidence that quotas lead to a larger pool of female top executives, who, in turn, are the main pipeline for boards of directors. Thus, other supplementary policies may be necessary if politicians want to increase the number of women in senior management positions.

Keywords: gender quotas; boards of directors; firm performance; spillover effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G34 J16 L25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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