Women on Corporate Boards and Their Influence on Firm Performance in Nigeria: Evidence From Panel Data Analysis

Abstract

There have been concerns about the impact gender inequality and board composition could have on the performance of firms, especially in emerging economies. Effective board composition is an essential factor in modern organisations. Thus, this study examines whether female inclusion in company boards impacts the performance of publicly traded firms in Nigeria from 2013 to 2022. The study employed data from firms trading on the Nigerian Exchange Group from 2013 to 2022, the Fixed Effects model for analysis and two-stage least squares for robustness checks. The empirical findings show that female inclusion in corporate boards positively impacts firm performance in Nigeria. The study also explores board experience and age diversity to address the issue of cognitive as well as demographic diversity. The impact of female inclusion in corporate boards is significant when the directors have experience in board matters and possess a minimum of a bachelor's degree or comparable professional qualifications. After addressing the likelihood of endogeneity problems associated with governance variables, the results from the robustness checks remain the same. The findings imply that firms should promote board gender diversity as well as engage experienced and educated female directors in board-related matters to enhance good governance and firm performance.