Does the effect of good corporate governance on sustainability reporting strengthen by the presence of women on corporate boards?

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of good corporate governance on sustainability reporting (SR) by considering the moderating role of board gender. Furthermore, this study also investigates the research model in companies that are old and young. Design/methodology/approach This study uses 1,150 firm-year data from non-financial companies listed on IDX (2014–2020), tested using panel regression, with robustness tests and sample separation between older and younger firms to validate the research model. Findings The results indicate that good corporate governance improves SR. In addition, the presence of women on the company board strengthens the effect of good corporate governance on SR. This study also reveals that younger companies tend to be more capable of delivering sustainability reports. Practical implications This study highlights Indonesia’s unique corporate governance traits – diverse ownership, low ESG awareness and weak regulations – while showing how board gender diversity improves SR. It offers insights for firms to strengthen reporting via GCG and gender inclusion, and for policymakers to improve ESG regulations. Originality/value This study fills a research gap in Indonesia’s context by using the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard (ACG-SC), a region-specific metric that reflects Asian governance traits like family ownership and stakeholder focus. It also adds originality by exploring female directors’ roles in sustainability within Indonesian firms.