Women in Corporate Boards and Financial Reporting Credibility: Evidence from Nigeria

The clamor for more women on corporate boards is on the increase. Academic research has reported several findings consistent with the view that boards perform better when there is gender diversity. This paper empirically examines the impact of women in corporate boards on financial reporting quality. Using a sample of 20 firms representing the various sectors of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, we conduct panel regressions of discretionary accruals on a set of explanatory variables constituting gender mix. Results provide robust evidence to suggest that the presence of a female director does not particularly improve the quality of financial reporting however financial reporting credibility improves as the proportion of women in the board increases. The study extends prior research by investigating how the gender mix of a board potentially impacts on financial reporting thereby providing interesting insights to financial accounting literature.