Gender in accounting research: a review

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to review studies dealing with gender issues in accounting literature over the period of 1994-2016. Design/methodology/approach This study combines electronic and manual searches to identify relevant studies using keywords such as “gender” or “female” and “earnings quality” or “social and environmental disclosure” or “auditing” or “tax aggressiveness”. In total, 64 published studies were identified. Findings Three main streams of gender accounting literature related to financial reporting (earnings quality, accounting conservatism, voluntary disclosure), auditing (audit fees, audit opinion, audit report lag) and other miscellaneous topics were identified. Gender accounting literature uses empirical analysis, experimental approaches and interviews. Reviewed studies deal with top management gender (CEO, CFO), board of directors, audit committee and auditor gender. A synthesis of empirical findings shows that female representation on the board, audit committee, CFO or CEO leads to more conservative reporting, higher level of social and environmental disclosure, less tax aggressiveness and higher audit fees. Furthermore, auditor gender influences audit quality through lower abnormal accruals and shorter audit report lag, higher likelihood of issuing an adverse audit opinion and higher audit fees. Qualitative studies dealing with miscellaneous topics in gender accounting literature generally focus on the status of women in accounting and auditing professions, gender issues in accounting academic setting and disclosure about women in annual reports. Practical implications This review informs policymakers about the effect of female representation on accounting and auditing practices given the political debate largely shaped by anti-discriminatory arguments concerning the under-representation of women in management and audit professions. Originality/value This study goes beyond a classic narrative review by presenting criticisms to gender accounting literature and suggesting future research avenues.

Corporate Governance and Audit Fees Evidence from Bangladeshi Listed Banks and NBFIs

“…The result of this study is consistent with prior literature (e.g. Lai et al, 2017 ;Khlif & Achek, 2017;Hardies et al, 2015;Huang et al, 2014).…”

“…Hardies et al, (2015) studied Belgian firms and concluded higher audit fees for female audit engagement partners. Likewise, Khlif & Achek (2017) studies dealing with gender issues in accounting literature over the period of 1994-2016 and found findings shows that female representation on the board, audit committee, CFO or CEO leads to higher audit fees along with more conservative reporting, higher level of social and environmental disclosure, less tax aggressiveness. In line with the above literature, it is argued that as female members are more cautious about the firm's performance and ethical issues, they tend to ensure higher audit quality given by specialist external auditors and thus audit fees increase.…”

Exploring Twitter for CSR Disclosure: Influence of CEO and Firm Characteristics in Latin American Companies

“…However, despite the strategic importance of CSR to many organisations, very few studies have addressed the question of the role played by the CEO in the dissemination of information on CSR [46,47]. Previous studies have been based mainly on characteristics like age, see for example [48]; experience and tenure, see for example [46,49]; and gender, see for example [49,50] as decisive regarding CSR, but none have analysed their disclosure via social media.…”

“…With regard to the organization's disclosure of social and environmental information, empirical studies have shown that when the company board has a higher proportion of female members, there tends to be more corporate transparency [50].…”

Female CEOs and Core Earnings Quality: New Evidence on the Ethics Versus Risk-Aversion Puzzle

“…The introduction in the 1960s of a number of gender-focused equal opportunities laws, especially in developed countries, such as the 1963 Equal Pay Act of the US, helped in increasing women's participation in the workforce (Khlif and Achek 2017). However, this did not necessarily lead to increased participation of women in senior management roles [e.g., board member or chief executive officer (CEO)] in companies, with 'old-boys networks' often cited as one of the major barriers to women's executive career progression (Adams 2016).…”