Departamento de Gestión de Empresas
Actualidad
Fecha: 7 de marzo de 2025 12:00
Seminario Anabel Mendoza "ESG Shareholder Proposals and Women Director Appointments: The Influence of Family and Non-Family Ownership"
Lugar: 0021 Sala de Juntas. Planta baja. Edificio Los Madroños
Ponente: Anabel Mendoza, doctoranda del departamento Business Administration de la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
Abstract: Despite significant changes in boardroom composition, the knowledge of how ESG shareholder proposals affects board gender diversity is still limited. Drawing from gender role congruity theory, we propose that shareholder proposals trigger gender role expectations, influencing the likelihood of firms appointing women directors. Using data on 3,570 shareholder proposals from 2008 to 2018 on publicly listed US firms, we find that nonfinancial proposals are associated with an increase in women directors, whereas financial proposals show negative effects. Yet, our results reveal that when firm owners prioritize nonfinancial goals, the alignment between female traits and organizational goals drives firms to strategically appoint women directors. This paper extends theory on gender studies and corporate governance literature by offering valuable insights into the intersection of ESG-focused shareholder activism, female directors and the role of firm ownership.