Firm Performance and Boardroom Gender Diversity: A Quantile Regression Approach

40 Pages Posted: 17 Mar 2016 Last revised: 8 Dec 2017

See all articles by Martin Conyon

Martin Conyon

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School; Bentley University

Lerong He

SUNY College at Brockport

Date Written: March 16, 2017

Abstract

We investigate the relation between firm performance and boardroom gender diversity using quantile regression methods. Using annual data on over 3000 US firms from 2007 to 2014, we show that the presence of women on the board has a positive effect on firm performance, and this effect varies at different parts of the performance distribution. Critically, we demonstrate that the presence of women directors alters the dispersion of firm performance. Our quantile regression results suggest that female directors have a significantly larger positive impact in high-performing firms relative to low-performing firms. The board gender diversity effect is not homogeneous as assumed in previous research. In addition, we account for the endogenous selection of women to the board. Using instrumental variable quantile regression, we find that in general there is a positive correlation between firm performance and board gender diversity. Overall, we suggest that boardroom gender diversity has an effect on both the conditional mean and the dispersion of firm performance, and quantile regression adds value to the empirical examination of the performance impact of board gender diversity.

Keywords: Corporate Governance, Boardroom Gender Diversity, Firm Performance, Quantile Regression

JEL Classification: G3

Suggested Citation

Conyon, Martin and He, Lerong, Firm Performance and Boardroom Gender Diversity: A Quantile Regression Approach (March 16, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2748558 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2748558

Martin Conyon (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School ( email )

3600 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6365
United States

Bentley University ( email )

175 Forest Street
Waltham, MA 02145
United States

Lerong He

SUNY College at Brockport ( email )

Geneseo, NY 14454
United States

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