A widely documented body of research has demonstrated that companies with higher levels of women in leadership (WIL) have superior performance in several areas, including higher returns on capital, better productivity, and higher stock price performance. During the initial years after the financial crisis of 2008-9, financial and economic research established the positive performance impact of female participation at the board and senior management levels of large corporations. Since then, a number of studies have consistently shown the financial and performance benefits of gender diversity in corporate leadership – and have demonstrated that companies who lag on diverse leadership also lag in performance. The following is an overview of key studies in this area.
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Special Report
Gender Lens Investing 2021: Supporting a women-focused recovery reviews the 2020 performance and composition of gender lens equity funds, offers an overview of gender lens fixed income vehicles and explores the dynamics shaping publicly-available gender lens investing in 2021.
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Q4 2020 Gender Lens Performance: Fixed Income
This table lists public and private gender lens fixed income investment products. These include global, U.S., and emerging market bond funds, global and Asian bond issues, development bank-backed bonds, U.S. notes and certificates, and a lending platform. Some provide several share classes and multiple exchange listings. The investment approach in the gender lens fixed income market ranges from capturing WIL benefits to supporting women-owned small and medium enterprises in developing economies. These products are divided into the categories outlined above. Total AUM is $4.55 billion as of December 31, 2020.
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The Effect of COVID-19 on Women: Measuring the Damage and Charting Paths to Recovery
As the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn unfolded, a rush of studies highlighted the unique effect of COVID-19 on women in the global economy. Researchers have called on governments, multilateral institutions, and private employers to place women and girls front and center in recovery efforts.
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The Rise of Endowments in Gender Lens Investing
As the investable assets of nonprofit entities, endowments comprise an important segment of institutional investment capital. A growing focus on how these assets can successfully invest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies has shed new light on the potential for gender lens investing by endowments.
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Why Should Investors Seek Diverse Supply Chains?
Against the ongoing challenges of global inequality, gender lens investing is growing and positioned to expand beyond WIL into additional areas where metrics around the benefits of gender equity are slowly emerging. This includes supplier diversity and inclusion, which describes an organization’s commitment to maintain a diverse pool of women and other underrepresented business owners in the procurement process.
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