GENDER EFFECTS ON FIRM CAPITAL STRUCTURE

Abstract

The literature of sociobiology and culture recognize that, statistically, females often make different choices than males across a wide range of issues. Scholars of business, economics, and finance find that females react differently than males to diverse financial and business situations. Moreover, extant research indicates that females on boards of directors exert a positive impact on monitoring, value, and performance. This dissertation extends the gender literature by empirically testing the hypothesis that female board representation limits the use of debt in firms’ capital structures because of females’ greater risk aversion, lower overconfidence, and less competitive nature compared with males. The empirical results indicate that influential female representation, such as a female chair of the board, has a causal negative and significant impact on the leverage of the company.