Board gender diversity and ESG performance in an emerging market: does institutional ownership matter?

Purpose This study aims to investigate whether board gender diversity (BGD) influences environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, while also examining the moderating role of institutional ownership on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 504 firm-year observations was obtained across 63 nonfinancial firms publicly traded within the Egyptian Exchange during 2015–2022. The empirical analysis was performed employing Pooled Ordinary Least Squares, while two-stage least squares regression was applied for alleviating possible issues of endogeneity. Findings The study findings demonstrate a significant and positive effect of women in boardrooms on ESG outcomes. Furthermore, institutional ownership weakens this positive effect as a moderating variable. Remarkably, the COVID-19 outbreak led to enhanced ESG performance. The robustness of the study results is further reinforced by additional tests using different metrics for the key variables. Moreover, the findings reinforce critical mass theory. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first empirical analysis to investigate how institutional ownership moderates the relationship between women directors and ESG ratings in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It also represents the first empirical attempt to examine COVID-19 as a moderating variable in this relationship and to apply the perspective of critical mass theory to explore the BGD–ESG nexus in Egypt.