Mustafa A. Dah , Walid Elgammal , Bilal Kchouri , Adnan Marrouche
{"title":"Do female CEOs lead more ethical firms? ESG and corporate impact","authors":"Mustafa A. Dah , Walid Elgammal , Bilal Kchouri , Adnan Marrouche","doi":"10.1016/j.irfa.2025.104408","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We study how CEO gender affects ESG disclosures and their impact on corporate policies and performance. Our results highlight a positive association between female CEOs and ESG disclosures. We also show that the conduct of female CEOs aligns more closely with stakeholder theory and has favorable implications for the relationship between ESG activities and corporate policies. Specifically, female CEOs enhance the role of ESG disclosures in increasing accounting transparency and reducing corporate risk-taking. In addition, female-led ESG initiatives positively affect both accounting and market performance. Our results highlight the heightened ethical values of female CEOs compared to their male counterparts, emphasizing their fundamental role in shaping the impact and value of ESG activities. Morally-driven ESG activities, signaling an ethical and stakeholder-friendly corporate culture, set authentic sustainability initiatives apart from mere compliance or potential window-dressing practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48226,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Financial Analysis","volume":"105 ","pages":"Article 104408"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Review of Financial Analysis","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057521925004958","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS, FINANCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
We study how CEO gender affects ESG disclosures and their impact on corporate policies and performance. Our results highlight a positive association between female CEOs and ESG disclosures. We also show that the conduct of female CEOs aligns more closely with stakeholder theory and has favorable implications for the relationship between ESG activities and corporate policies. Specifically, female CEOs enhance the role of ESG disclosures in increasing accounting transparency and reducing corporate risk-taking. In addition, female-led ESG initiatives positively affect both accounting and market performance. Our results highlight the heightened ethical values of female CEOs compared to their male counterparts, emphasizing their fundamental role in shaping the impact and value of ESG activities. Morally-driven ESG activities, signaling an ethical and stakeholder-friendly corporate culture, set authentic sustainability initiatives apart from mere compliance or potential window-dressing practices.
期刊介绍:
The International Review of Financial Analysis (IRFA) is an impartial refereed journal designed to serve as a platform for high-quality financial research. It welcomes a diverse range of financial research topics and maintains an unbiased selection process. While not limited to U.S.-centric subjects, IRFA, as its title suggests, is open to valuable research contributions from around the world.