Title: Board gender diversity and corporate social responsibility: evidence from India

Authors: Sudheer Reddy; Aditya Jadhav; Krishna Prasad

Addresses: T A Pai Management Institute, Manipal, Karnataka, India ' T A Pai Management Institute, Manipal, Karnataka, India ' T A Pai Management Institute, Manipal, Karnataka, India

Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between gender diversity on corporate boards and corporate social responsibility spending. Gender diverse boards positively impact CSR spending as measured by CSR ratio. India's gender quota policy on corporate boards and corporate social responsibility legislation provides a unique setting to study this question. This study examines a sample of 738 Indian firms listed on the national stock exchange spanning the period 2013-2019. First, the study reveals that the presence of women directors increases the CSR spending in Indian firms. In addition, the results show that the presence of women directors in loss-making firms also has a positive impact on CSR spending. This article contributes to the literature on gender diversity on corporate boards in emerging markets.

Keywords: board gender diversity; corporate social responsibility; board independence; India.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2024.137261

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2024 Vol.32 No.3, pp.380 - 393

Received: 30 Oct 2020
Accepted: 17 Feb 2021
Published online: 08 Mar 2024 *

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