Pioneers, critical observers and hesitants – a taxonomy of identities of female directors on supervisory boards

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the identities of female members on supervisory boards of large listed German companies based on their minority position. Design/methodology/approach The study draws upon 15 qualitative interviews with female board members in large listed companies in Germany. They are content-analyzed with a three-phase procedure informed by Mayring (2014). Findings The authors discerned three distinctive identity positions that female directors establish when narrating their experiences as members of the supervisory board: “pioneer,” “critical observer,” and “hesitant.” These identities represent how female board members situate themselves at the intersection between their function as a board member and their gender. Originality/value Drawing upon social identity theory and tokenism theory, the authors develop a taxonomy of identities among female board members who hold minority positions. This study contributes to gender-oriented research in corporate governance and tokenism theory by extending the identity issue as an important element beyond the sole “numbers” in relation to the majority and minority in supervisory boards.