Banking on Women Leaders: A Case for More?

Ratna Sahay, Martin Cihak (), Papa N'Diaye, Adolfo Barajas, Annette Kyobe, Srobona Mitra, Yen Mooi and Seyed Reza Yousefi

No 2017/199, IMF Working Papers from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: Using a new dataset, we measure the large gap between the representation of men and women in leadership positions in banks and bank supervision agencies worldwide. Women occupied less than 2 percent of bank CEOs positions, and less than 20 percent of the board seats in more than 80 percent of the observations across banks over time. Contrary to common perceptions, many low- and middle-income countries have a higher share of women in bank boards and banking supervision agency boards compared to advanced economies. Econometric analysis suggests that, controlling for relevant bank and country-specific factors, the presence of women as well as a higher share of women on bank boards is associated with greater bank stability, as represented by higher z-scores and lower nonperforming loan ratios. We also examine the share of women on boards of banking supervision agencies by compiling a new dataset. We find that it is associated with greater bank stability. Further research is needed to identify specific mechanisms through which these stability benefits are achieved, and to understand the conditions that have facilitated entry of women into leadership roles in banks and supervision agencies.

Keywords: WP; bank; share of woman; bank stability; share; banking; bank supervision; gender; board of directors; bank board; bank type; board seat; bank assets; bank stability outcome; bank size; bank stability measure; bank type Fe; Women; Bank soundness; Nonperforming loans; Commercial banks; Global (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 38
Date: 2017-09-07
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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