Is Gender Diversity Profitable? Evidence from a Global Survey

35 Pages Posted: 10 Feb 2016

See all articles by Marcus Noland

Marcus Noland

Peterson Institute for International Economics; East-West Center

Tyler Moran

Peterson Institute for International Economics

Barbara R. Kotschwar

Peterson Institute for International Economics; Georgetown University

Date Written: February 2016

Abstract

Analysis of a global survey of 21,980 firms from 91 countries suggests that the presence of women in corporate leadership positions may improve firm performance. This correlation could reflect either the payoff to nondiscrimination or the fact that women increase a firm’s skill diversity. Women’s presence in corporate leadership is positively correlated with firm characteristics such as size as well as national characteristics such as girls’ math scores, the absence of discriminatory attitudes toward female executives, and the availability of paternal leave. The results find no impact of board gender quotas on firm performance, but they suggest that the payoffs of policies that facilitate women rising through the corporate ranks more broadly could be significant.

Keywords: Women, gender, diversity, boards of directors, CEOs

JEL Classification: G3, J16, M14

Suggested Citation

Noland, Marcus and Moran, Tyler and Kotschwar, Barbara R., Is Gender Diversity Profitable? Evidence from a Global Survey (February 2016). Peterson Institute for International Economics Working Paper No. 16-3, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2729348 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2729348

Marcus Noland (Contact Author)

Peterson Institute for International Economics ( email )

1750 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States

East-West Center ( email )

1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96848-1601
United States

Tyler Moran

Peterson Institute for International Economics ( email )

1750 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States

Barbara R. Kotschwar

Peterson Institute for International Economics ( email )

1750 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States

Georgetown University ( email )

Washington, DC 20057
United States

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