Women on managing boards – are companies more responsible when women share the power?

Joanna Hernik and Antonio Minguez Vera

Faculty of Economics, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin

Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Murcia

Abstract: Gender equality, also known as gender egalitarianism, is the view that each and every one should receive identical treatment and not be discriminated against based on their gender. This is one of the purposes of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which seeks to create equality in law and in social situations, such as in democratic activities and securing equal pay for equal work.

Lately more and more companies adapt conception of gender equality as a part of responsible business in their activity that is shown in different indexes, statistics and reports. One of them is RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook that includes the world’s largest companies invited to participate in the Corporate Sustainability Assessment. From this report we took Industry Movers as our research sample, that next is compared to the biggest companies in Poland. We want to prove that presence of women at managing boards of “industry movers” essentially differs them from other boards and influences their philosophy on the market.

To conduct this research we use comparative analysis method, as well statistical diversity indexes, that is supported by research on roles of management board, masculine and feminine styles of management and political and social background of women`s situation on labour market in Poland. The article shows a work in progress, but first results proves that Industry Movers companies differ significantly from Polish companies if number of women on managing boards is considered.

Keywords: managing boards, business responsibility, women