The impact on the governance of the gender quotas legislation: the Italian case

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to create a strong connection among the gender diversity literature in the stream of gender quotas in the international context and the main legislation on gender diversity – the Law 120/2011 “Golfo-Mosca” – in Italy requiring listed companies and companies under the public control to implement policies for increasing board diversity. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a structured literature review method to propose relevant issues on this topic applying an innovative analytical framework based on the “article focus.” Additionally, an interview to a CEO of an Italian Bank has been done. Findings In this step, results seem to underline the prominence of literature analyzing “woman in board of directors” promoting board diversity in the light of good governance. Additionally, this analysis is functional to the proposition of interesting insights from the Golfo-Mosca Law’s analysis in Italy emphasizing primary effects of its application during past seven years. Originality/value Findings of this paper are original, as it is the first time that a research connects results from the structured literature review on gender issues and the related Italian law to draft emerging and thrilling issues in the light of transparent and responsible corporate governance system.

Do women have a say? A moderated mediation model's influence on the leverage policy toward corporate sustainable growth

“…The lack of gender diversity in senior management stands out as a significant challenge for contemporary companies (Garcia-Blandon et al, 2022). A key benchmark for the success of SDG 5 targets is the proportion of women in managerial positions, contributing to gender diversity in corporate governance and the sustainable growth of the company (Binder, 2019;Paoloni et al, 2019). The SDGs advocate for changes in business strategy, urging companies aiming at long-term sustainability to integrate a human-centric approach (Kelan and Wratil, 2021).…”

“…Women often bring backgrounds more closely tied to nonfinancial matters, displaying a heightened ethical inclination and a tendency to steer clear of breaches in social and environmental policies, rendering them more effective (Li et al, 2022). The presence of gender diversity encourages companies to embrace socially responsible behavior and sustainable practices, positively influencing accountability and transparency (Paoloni et al, 2019). The inclusion of women on corporate boards aims to bridge the gender gap in economic sector participation and foster the advancement of women within organizations (Neschen and H€ ugelsch€ afer, 2021).…”

“…, 2022). A key benchmark for the success of SDG 5 targets is the proportion of women in managerial positions, contributing to gender diversity in corporate governance and the sustainable growth of the company (Binder, 2019; Paoloni et al. , 2019).…”

“…, 2022). The presence of gender diversity encourages companies to embrace socially responsible behavior and sustainable practices, positively influencing accountability and transparency (Paoloni et al. , 2019).…”