Närvaron av kvinnor – En förutsättning för hållbar utveckling?

Abstract

Since 2018, women representation on Swedish corporate boards has been stagnant at 34 percent and it can be noted that many countries in Europe including the other Nordic countries have surpassed Sweden, who was once in the forefront. The purpose of this study is therefore to analyze if a greater representation of women on corporate boards may have an effect on Swedish listed companies’ sustainability policy. More precisely, this essay will examine the difference in the effect of the proportion of women and the effect of critical mass, where the presence of women must reach a certain threshold effect to have a proven significant influence. Several studies have found that a greater representation of women on corporate boards has a positive effect on corporations’ sustainability reporting while other studies conclude that the number of women on corporate boards has a greater significance on the effect women bring. However, these studies have been criticized, as researchers believe that the correlation goes in the opposite direction or that there simply is no pronounced gender difference in corporate boards. The research on the effect of women on corporate boards is thus undecided. This study is based on a large cross-section of data in Sweden and the result shows that the presence of women on corporate boards must reach a critical mass of at least three women to have a significant positive effect on companies’ sustainability policy. Therefore, it can be assumed that a threshold effect truly exists in corporate boards.