The impact of characteristics of female executives on corporate social responsibilities(CSR) in China

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between characteristics of female executives and corporate social responsibility(CSR) performance using the data of Chinese listed companies during the period of 2010 to 2016. We find that the relationship between the number of female executives and CSR is positive. And we also conduct a comparative research to study the age and education level of male and female executives in the executive team. The results show that the relationship between the education level of male executives and CSR is more significant than females. The age of male executives also has a greater impact on CSR performance. We further analyze whether female executives strengthen the influence of independent directors and executives’ overseas background on CSR. We find that the ratio of female executives weakens the impact of independent director ratio on CSR. The results suggest that gender as a hidden facet, affects CSR performance. Companies should pay attention to the impact different gender has on CSR when hiring executives and employees.