Gender Diversity on Boards

Does the gender diversity of boards of directors matter? A recent research report from Credit Suisse (click here) suggests that the presence of women on boards is correlated with better firm performance. This raises an interesting economic question: why should the presence of women on boards matter?  Are women more empathetic with employees and therefore better managers?  Are women better at selecting successful firms?  Are successful firms able to have the luxury of having more women on their boards?  Are women better at multi-tasking (a key skill for modern corporate managers)?  Are women on boards so good at their job because they have been toughened up by constant male chauvinism on their rise up the corporate ladder? This subject would be a great PhD topic for someone! Click here to read an older post on this issue.