Year
2025
Authors
DE BEAUFORT Viviane, BEN CHAIB hicham
Abstract
Our Working Paper intervenes as a complement to a WORKING PAPER 2505 of April 11, 2025, which dealt with the examination of the feminization of the governance bodies (Board of Directors and Supervisory Boards) and management bodies (Executive Committee or Executive Committee) of the CAC40.provides an integrated examination of the link between the feminization of corporate governance bodies and firms’ non-financial (ESG) performance, combining a comprehensive literature review, a behavioral analysis of board dynamics, and an original empirical study of CAC 40 companies. While the literature has long oscillated between limited positive correlations and the absence of a significant effect on financial performance, recent research increasingly points to substantial effects of gender diversity on environmental and social (E&S) performance. Drawing on critical mass theory, the paper emphasizes that female influence can only emerge once a threshold of approximately 30% women is reached within governance bodies, at which point tokenism diminishes and female directors acquire the legitimacy needed to shape strategic decision-making. The integration of behavioral approaches, via the Input–Process–Output model, demonstrates that observed effects do not result mechanically from board composition but from the processes these women help transform: increased cognitive conflict, higher effort norms, improved board preparation, more rigorous questioning of managerial assumptions, and reduced informal political behavior. Qualitative studies by Wiersema and Mors confirm that female directors foster a culture of transparency, vigilance, and heightened accountability, while research by de Beaufort highlights a form of female leadership strongly rooted in ethical values—justice, role modeling, sincerity, and responsibility—which contributes to more sustainable governance. The empirical study of CAC 40 companies shows that feminization is progressing in boards (45.68% in 2024) but remains limited in executive committees (27.97%), with particularly low representation in strategic leadership positions (CEO, CFO, CSO). Statistical analyses reveal a positive, albeit weak, correlation between women’s presence on boards and ESG performance as measured by the Forum for Responsible Investment. In contrast, no relationship is observed between directors’ ESG expertise and non-financial performance. The most notable, counterintuitive finding is that the positive impact on ESG performance is more pronounced when women hold strategic roles unrelated to ESG (finance, strategy, HR, procurement), suggesting that their contribution is less about assumed affinity for these topics than about the diversity of skills and perspectives they bring to decision-making. These findings confirm and refine insights from the international literature, notably the effects identified in the work of Ginglinger & Gentet-Raskopf. The study concludes that feminization constitutes a lever for sustainable performance, but its impact depends closely on recognition conditions, the deliberative environment, and the quality of board leadership. It proposes a central theorem: the non-financial performance of CAC 40 companies is positively correlated with the increasing proportion of women in leadership bodies, provided they hold strategic responsibilities beyond ESG-specific functions. Finally, the paper opens avenues for future research on the career trajectories of female directors and the diffusion of ESG considerations across all strategic committees.
DE BEAUFORT, V. et BEN CHAIB, H. (2025). Féminisation des Boards et Performance ESG : corrélation ou illusion ? WP 2510, ESSEC Business School.