The Role of Female Leadership in Firms’ Environmental Performance

Rafael Duarte Lisboa Paschoaleto () and Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso ()
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Rafael Duarte Lisboa Paschoaleto: University of Göttingen
Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso: Universitat Jaume I, University of Göttingen

No 2026.02, Working Papers from International Network for Economic Research - INFER

Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between female leadership and firms’ environmental performance using data on 15,612 firms across 32 countries in Europe, Central Asia, and MENA from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys. Environmental performance is measured through the Firm Environmental Performance Index (FEPI). The instrumental variable approach results show that female leadership significantly improves environmental performance and green practices such as CO₂ monitoring, environmental certifications, and energy management. A one-standard-deviation increase in female leadership raises FEPI by 11 percent, particularly in smaller and low-technology firms. Therefore, policies promoting women leadership could help to mitigate the consequences of climate change.

Keywords: Gender; environment; female leadership; firm environmental performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O Q (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2026
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-res
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