Gender Lens Investing: A Scoping Review from Theoretical Foundations to Public Equity Applications

Freyja Vilborg Thorarinsdottir (), Ásta Dís Óladóttir, Gary L. Darmstadt and Sigríður Benediktsdóttir
Additional contact information
Freyja Vilborg Thorarinsdottir: School of Business, University of Iceland, 102 Reykjavik, Iceland
Ásta Dís Óladóttir: School of Business, University of Iceland, 102 Reykjavik, Iceland
Gary L. Darmstadt: Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Sigríður Benediktsdóttir: School of Business, University of Iceland, 102 Reykjavik, Iceland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-23

Abstract: This scoping review explores the dynamic field of Gender Lens Investing (GLI), examining its evolution from a niche approach to its current status as a widely recognized investment strategy with the potential to contribute to sustainable development and yield social, financial, and economic benefits. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical foundations of GLI and its practical applications across public equity markets. By conducting research across four major databases, we performed a thematic analysis that identified four principal themes: Benefits and Impacts, GLI Strategies, GLI Instruments and Innovations, and Challenges and Barriers to Implementation. Key findings reveal an increased implementation of GLI in various forms and a gradual increase in publications, reflecting growing interest within academia and industry. Despite these advancements, critical gaps remain in understanding the financial and social impacts of GLI strategies and instruments. While GLI has been broadly defined and implemented, further empirical research is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of GLI in public equities and its long-term impacts. The limitations of this review include a focus on English-language publications, which might limit the comprehensiveness of the analysis.

Keywords: gender lens investing; sustainable finance; sustainable development goals; public equity markets; social impact investing; gender equality; gender diversity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/8916/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/20/8916/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:20:p:8916-:d:1498856

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().