Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards: A Corporate Governance and Regulatory Perspective

Abstract

Over the years, regulatory reforms have increasingly mandated the inclusion of women on corporate boards, resulting in a significant rise in the representation of women directors. This transformation has been driven not only by considerations of social equity and inclusiveness but also by growing recognition of the economic and strategic value of board gender diversity. Existing literature, supported by various social, psychological and organisational theories, consistently highlights board gender diversity as a positive influence on corporate decision-making and governance effectiveness. This study provides a comprehensive review of the evolving research landscape on board gender diversity by examining the available scientific literature from multiple perspectives. It identifies the leading countries, influential authors, seminal publications and prominent academic journals that have shaped this field of research. In addition, the study analyses the relationship between board gender diversity and key corporate outcomes, including financial performance, corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental performance and sustainability disclosures. A distinctive contribution of this study is its use of the Scopus database for bibliometric mapping, whereas most earlier bibliometric reviews in this domain have predominantly relied on the Web of Science database. By employing Scopus, the study offers a broader and more comprehensive understanding of the intellectual structure, research trends and emerging directions in the literature on board gender diversity, thereby providing valuable insights for future research.