TY - JOUR
T1 - Does Having a Critical Mass of Women on the Board Result in More Corporate Environmental Actions? Evidence From China
AU - Gong, Mijia
AU - Zhang, Zhe
AU - Jia, Ming
AU - Walls, Judith L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
PY - 2021/12
Y1 - 2021/12
N2 - Arguments based on ethical sensitivity differences, gender-based functional differences, and gender discrimination suggest that having more women on the board of directors improves corporate environmental actions (CEA). However, empirical evidence of this relationship has provided inconsistent results. To explore this inconsistency, we draw on critical mass theory to examine how women on boards influence CEA. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms during 2010–2016, we find that firms with a critical mass of at least three female directors on their boards engage in both higher quality and faster speed of environmental actions. In addition, we find that government monitoring (as a formal institution) positively moderates this relationship. We also find that local religious ideology (as an informal institution) positively moderates the relationship between critical mass of women on the boards and CEA speed. Our findings provide insights about gender diversity on boards to corporations and policymakers.
AB - Arguments based on ethical sensitivity differences, gender-based functional differences, and gender discrimination suggest that having more women on the board of directors improves corporate environmental actions (CEA). However, empirical evidence of this relationship has provided inconsistent results. To explore this inconsistency, we draw on critical mass theory to examine how women on boards influence CEA. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms during 2010–2016, we find that firms with a critical mass of at least three female directors on their boards engage in both higher quality and faster speed of environmental actions. In addition, we find that government monitoring (as a formal institution) positively moderates this relationship. We also find that local religious ideology (as an informal institution) positively moderates the relationship between critical mass of women on the boards and CEA speed. Our findings provide insights about gender diversity on boards to corporations and policymakers.
KW - corporate environmental actions
KW - critical mass theory
KW - formal institution
KW - government monitoring
KW - informal institution
KW - religious ideology
KW - women on board of directors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102460080&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1059601121998892
DO - 10.1177/1059601121998892
M3 - 文章
AN - SCOPUS:85102460080
SN - 1059-6011
VL - 46
SP - 1106
EP - 1144
JO - Group and Organization Management
JF - Group and Organization Management
IS - 6
ER -
