The Impact of Corporate Board Gender Diversity on Sustainability Practices. Evidence from Italian SMEs

This paper investigates the relationship between the presence of women on corporate boards of directors and sustainability practices of Italian SMEs. Using a unique survey on how SMEs in the Italian province of Brescia deal with two main pillars of sustainability (environmental quality and social responsiveness), we investigate whether women on boards promote, more than men, sustainable practices and which of the two pillars is targeted the most by women.