Mandatory gender quotas: the impact on board and committee meetings

PurposeThis study aims to test whether the introduction of a gender quota impacts functioning of boards of directors and internal committees thanks to female capacity in effort norms, cognitive conflicts and use of skills. Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a difference-in-differences method to trace the staggered mandatory adoption of gender quotas on boards on Italian listed firms, representing the regulative institution pillar of institutional theory. FindingsThis paper find that mandatory adopter firms have more frequent internal committee meetings and less frequent board of directors' meetings after the introduction of the law. This confirms that the regulation re-prioritizes work in internal committees, thanks to women effort, capacity to resolution and use of skills. Originality/valueThis research provides empirical evidence on female contribution and on the impact that a specific mandatory regulation, as regulative institutional pillar, can have on board organization, showing how gender characteristics influence board functioning in terms of meetings.