ABSTRACT
Research on the presence of women on corporate boards addresses female participation in management and governance. The inclusion of women on boards has over the years evolved to be one of the most intensively investigated and debated issues of – both – academia and corporate practice. It is confirmed in the growing number of empirical and theoretical studies as well as in the formulation of codes of conduct and the sets of guidelines adopted among companies and public administration.
We draw upon the theme of female participation on corporate boards. Our aim is to provide an overview of the literature and research reports to recognize main contributions to this field and synthetize key findings. Specifically, we address the background of gender diversity in management and governance, tracing main drivers for its development and identifying mechanism which determined the current state of art and shape future prospects.
The remainder of the chapter is the following. Backgrounds and statistics on gender diversity in boardrooms are outlined in the first section. In the second section, we discuss motivations and drivers for increasing women’s participation on boards offered by different conceptual and theoretical frameworks. The third section reviews existing studies and research and addresses main empirical developments which document the mechanisms which explain the role and contribution of women on corporate boards. The discussion of directions for future research is revealed in the fourth section. The argument is concluded with final remarks.
