Women in Management and Relational Environmental Management Instruments *

CSR may be related to the gender structure of management. The literature on the relationship between gender diversity in management and CSR of large companies has produced mixed results. Whether and how gender diversity stimulates the CSR of SMEs has not yet been researched. In Chapter 8, we hypothesize that having more women in management positions improves the CSR of SMEs because this encourages the use of relational management instruments. Small business literature has shown this type of instrument to be more effective in improving the CSR of SMEs than bureaucratic management instruments. Test results support this hypothesis. However, the effect is non-linear and CSR reaches its maximum when the proportion of women managers is 54%.