Gender Diversity, Capital Structure and Financial Performance: A study of Banks in the UK
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33003/fujafr-2025.v3i2.165.26-42Keywords:
Gender Diversity, Capital Structure, Financial Performance, Banks in the UKAbstract
This study aims to explore the effect of gender diversity on the capital structure and financial performance of listed banks in the UK, covering a 10-year period from 2011 to 2020 and using a sample of 11 banks. To test the effect of gender diversity on capital structure and financial performance, the ordinary least square regression was employed. Debt-to-equity ratio was used as a measure of capital structure, while financial performance was measured using Tobin’s q. Board gender diversity was found to have a negative and significant effect on UK banks’ capital structure. On the other hand, board gender diversity had a positive and significant effect on the financial performance of UK banks, all at a 10% level of significance. It is therefore concluded that gender diversity will be significant in driving the economy, especially following the current economic strain caused by the pandemic. It is recommended that more strategies to encourage more women on the board should be encouraged.
References
Abou-El-Sood, H. (2021). Board gender diversity, power, and bank risk taking. International Review of Financial Analysis, 75, 101733. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2021.101733
Adamu, I. A., Tyasari, I., & Abubakar, A. H. (2024). Disentangling the influence of female directors in the banking industry. Acc. Fin. Review, 8(4), 11 – 22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35609/afr.2024.8.4(2)
Adams, R. B., & Ferreira, D. (2009). Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and performance. Journal of Financial Economics, 94(2), 291–309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2008.10.007
Adams, R. B., & Funk, P. (2012). Beyond the glass ceiling: Does gender matter? Management Science, 58(2), 219–235. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1110.1452
Adusei, M., & Obeng, E. Y. T. (2019). Board gender diversity and the capital structure of microfinance institutions: A global analysis. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 71, 258–269. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2018.09.006
Ahern, K. R., & Dittmar, A. K. (2012). The changing of the boards: The impact on firm valuation of mandated female board representation. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 127(1), 137–197. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjr049
Al-Naif, K. L., & Alnaif, K. L. K. (2014). Determinants of the size of board of directors: Evidence from Jordanian Corporation. In Research Journal of Finance and Accounting www.iiste.org ISSN (Vol. 5, Issue 8). www.sdc.com.jo
Alves, P., Couto, E. B., & Francisco, P. M. (2015). Board of directors’ composition and capital structure. Research in International Business and Finance, 35, 1–32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2015.03.005
Amin, A., Ur Rehman, R., Ali, R., & Ntim, C. G. (2021). Does gender diversity on the board reduce agency cost? Evidence from Pakistan. Gender in Management. 0303/FULL/PDF DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-10-2020-0303
Anderson, R. W., & Carverhill, A. (2012). Corporate Liquidity and Capital Structure. Review of Financial Studies, 25(3), 797–837. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhr103
Arlette, & Beltran. (2019). Female leadership and firm performance. Prague Economic Papers, 28(3), 363– 377.
Arnaboldi, F., Casu, B., Gallo, A., Kalotychou, E., & Sarkisyan, A. (2021). Gender diversity and bank misconduct. Journal of Corporate Finance, 101834. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101834
Bastari, A., Eliyana, A., Syabarrudin, A., Arief, Z., & Emur, A. P. (2020). Digitalization in banking sector: the role of intrinsic motivation. Heliyon, 6(12), e05801. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05801
Beltran, A. (2019). Female leadership and firm performance. Prague Economic Papers, 28(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.18267/j.pep.695
Brahma, S., Nwafor, C., & Boateng, A. (2020). Board gender diversity and firm performance: The UK evidence. International Journal of Finance and Economics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.2089
Campello, M. (2006). Debt financing: Does it boost or hurt firm performance in product markets? Journal of Financial Economics, 82(1), 135–172. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2005.04.001
Carter, D. A., D’Souza, F., Simkins, B. J., & Simpson, W. G. (2010). The gender and ethnic diversity of US boards and board committees and firm financial performance. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 18(5). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8683.2010.00809.x
Chamo, M. A., Kantudu, A. S., & Isa, M. A. (2025). Board Diversity and Financial Instrument Risk Disclosure of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria. FUDMA Journal of Accounting and Finance Research [FUJAFR], 3(1), 40–52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33003/fujafr-2025.v3i1.114.40-52
Chung, H., & van der Horst, M. (2018). Women employment patterns after childbirth and the perceived access to and use of flexitime and teleworking. Human Relations; Studies towards the Integration of the Social Sciences, 71(1), 47–72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726717713828
Chung, K. H., & Pruitt, S. W. (1994). A Simple Approximation of Tobin’s q. Financial Management, 23(3), 70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3665623
Conyon, M. J., & He, L. (2017). Firm performance and boardroom gender diversity: A quantile regression approach. Journal of Business Research, 79, 198–211. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.02.006
DePamphilis, D. M. (2022). Financing the deal: Private equity, hedge funds, and other sources of financing. Mergers, Acquisitions, and Other Restructuring Activities (pp. 343–372). Elsevier. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819782-0.00013-7
De Ramon, S., Francis, W., & Milonas, K. (2017). An overview of the UK banking sector since the Basel accord: insights from a new regulatory database, Unpublished Working Paper No. 652, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2937792 or DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2937792
Dezsö, C. L., & Ross, D. G. (2012). Does female representation in top management improve firm performance? A panel data investigation. Strategic Management Journal, 33(9), 1072–1089. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.1955
Dibra, R. (2016). Corporate Governance Failure: The case of enron and parmalat. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 12(16). DOI: https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2016.v12n16p283
Dierker, M., Lee, I., & Seo, S. W. (2019). Risk changes and external financing activities: Tests of the dynamic trade-off theory of capital structure. Journal of Empirical Finance, 52, 178–200. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jempfin.2019.03.004
Eduardo K. K., & Herbert K. (2010). Hierarchical determinants of capital structure. Journal of Banking and Finance, 35(2). 358 – 371. https://econpapers.repec.org/scripts/redir.pf?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2F science%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0378-4266%2810%2900324- 9;h=repec:eee:jbfina:v:35:y:2011:i:2:p:358-371
Eisenberg, T., Sundgren, S., & Wells, M. T. (1998). Larger board size and decreasing firm value in small firms. Journal of Financial Economics, 48(1), 35–54. 8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(98)00003-8
Fernando, G. D., Jain, S. S., & Tripathy, A. (2020). This cloud has a silver lining: Gender diversity, managerial ability, and firm performance. Journal of Business Research, 117, 484–496. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.042
Flabbi, L., Macis, M., Moro, A., & Schivardi, F. (2019). Do female executives make a difference? the impact of female leadership on gender gaps and firm performance. Economic Journal, 129(622), 2390–2423. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ej/uez012
Fosu, S. (2013). Capital structure, product market competition and firm performance: Evidence from South Africa. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 53(2), 140–151. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2013.02.004
Frank, M. Z., & Goyal, V. K. (2008). Trade-off and pecking order theories of debt. Handbook of Empirical Corporate Finance SET, 1, 135–202. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.670543
García, C. J., & Herrero, B. (2021). Female directors, capital structure, and financial distress. Journal of Business Research, 136, 592–601. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.061
García-Meca, E., García-Sánchez, I. M., & Martínez-Ferrero, J. (2015). Board diversity and its effects on bank performance: An international analysis. Journal of Banking & Finance, 53, 202–214. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2014.12.002
Geel, I. V. (2019). Board gender diversity and its effect on Capital Structure – A comparison between the Financial and Non-Financial sector. https://theses.ubn.ru.nl/handle/123456789/7977
González, V. M., & González, F. (2011). Firm size and capital structure: evidence using dynamic panel data. Applied Economics 44(36), 4745–4754. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2011.595690
Guest, P. M. (2009). The impact of board size on firm performance: evidence from the UK. The European Journal of Finance, 15(4), 385–404. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13518470802466121
Gwar, S., Angahar, P. A., Upaa, J. U., & Tyungu, J. I. (2025). Interaction effect of board attributes on the relationship between environmental disclosure and market value: Evidence from listed manufacturing firms in Nigeria. FUDMA Journal of Accounting and Finance Research [FUJAFR], 3(1), 31–39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33003/fujafr-2025.v3i1.153.31-39
Havard business review. (2006). How Well-Run Boards Make Decisions. https://hbr.org/2006/11/how- well-run-boards-make-decisions
He, J., & Huang, Z. (2011). Board Informal Hierarchy and Firm Financial Performance: Exploring a Tacit Structure Guiding Boardroom Interactions. Academy of Management Journal, 54(6). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.0824
Hejazi, R., Ghanbari, M., & Alipour, M. (2016). Intellectual, Human and Structural Capital Effects on Firm Performance as Measured by Tobin’s Q. Knowledge and Process Management, 23(4), 259–273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/kpm.1529
Hörisch, J., Schaltegger, S., & Freeman, R. E. (2020). Integrating stakeholder theory and sustainability accounting: A conceptual synthesis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 275, 124097. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124097
Hutton, G., & Shalchi, A. (2021). Financial services: contribution to the UK economy. Retrieved August 24, 2021, from www.parliament.uk/commons-library|intranet.parliament.uk/commons- library|papers@parliament.uk|@commonslibrary
Jayawardhena, C., & Foley, P. (2000). Changes in the banking sector: The case of internet banking in the UK. http://www.emerald-library.com/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/10662240010312048
Julius, A. (2012). Pecking Order Theory of Capital Structure: Another Way to Look at It. http://jbmae.scientificpapers.org/
Kılıç, M., & Kuzey, C. (2016). The effect of board gender diversity on firm performance: evidence from Turkey. Gender in Management, 31(7), 434–455. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-10-2015-0088
Kristanti, F. T. (2015). The Test of gender diversity and financial structure to the cost of financial distress: Evidence from Indonesian family business. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279750411
Le, T. P. V., & Phan, T. B. N. (2017). Capital structure and firm performance: Empirical evidence from a small transition country. Research in International Business and Finance, 42, 710–726. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2017.07.012
Li, H., & Chen, P. (2018). Board gender diversity and firm performance: The moderating role of firm size. Business Ethics: A European Review, 27(4), 294–308. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12188
Lipson, M. L., & Mortal, S. (2009). Liquidity and capital structure. Journal of Financial Markets, 12(4), 611– 644. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.finmar.2009.04.002
Lückerath-Rovers, M. (2011). Women on boards and firm performance. Journal of Management & Governance 2011 17:2, 17(2), 491–509. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-011-9186-1
Madhushani, I. K. H. H., Lanka, S., & Kawshala, B. A. H. (2018). The impact of financial distress on financial performance: Special reference to listed non-banking financial institutions in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 8(2), 393. www.ijsrp.org
Malkiel, B. G., & Xu, Y. (1997). Risk and return revisited - ProQuest. Journal of Portfolio Management; London. 23, (3), 9-14. https://www.proquest.com/docview/195576772?pq--origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true DOI: https://doi.org/10.3905/jpm.1997.409608
Mustapha, F. G., Adamu, I. A., Abdullahi, Z. (2025). Why is gender diversity important for corporate boards? Journal of Comprehensive Business Administration Research, 20(1), 20 – 26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewJCBAR42022467
Myers, S. C. (2001). Capital Structure. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15(2), 81–102. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.15.2.81
Nguyen, B. D., & Nielsen, K. M. (2010). The value of independent directors: Evidence from sudden deaths. Journal of Financial Economics, 98(3), 550–567. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2010.07.004
Nguyen, T., Locke, S., & Reddy, K. (2015). Does boardroom gender diversity matter? Evidence from a transitional economy. International Review of Economics & Finance, 37, 184–202. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2014.11.022
Nguyen, T., Nguyen, A., Nguyen, M., & Truong, T. (2021). Is national governance quality a key moderator of the boardroom gender diversity–firm performance relationship? International evidence from a multi-hierarchical analysis. International Review of Economics & Finance, 73, 370– 390. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2021.01.013
Niresh, J. A., & Velnampy, & T. (2014). Firm Size and Profitability: A Study of Listed Manufacturing Firms in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Business and Management, 9(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v9n4p57
Onchong’a, E. A., Muturi, W., & Atambo. W. (2016). Effecets of debt financing on business firms’ financial performance. International Journal of Social Sciences and Information Technology. II(VII), 723 – 737.
Ongsakul, V., Jaroenjitrkam, A., Treepongkaruna, S., & Jiraporn, P. (2021). Does board gender diversity reduce ‘CEO luck’? Accounting & Finance. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3801339
Perryman, A. A., Fernando, G. D., & Tripathy, A. (2016). Do gender differences persist? An examination of gender diversity on firm performance, risk, and executive compensation. Journal of Business Research, 69(2), 579–586. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.05.013
Poletti-Hughes, J., & Briano-Turrent, G. C. (2019). Gender diversity on the board of directors and corporate risk: A behavioural agency theory perspective. International Review of Financial Analysis, 62, 80–90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2019.02.004
Post, C., & Byron, K. (2015). Women on Boards and Firm Financial Performance: A Meta-Analysis. Academy of Management Journal, 58(5), 1546–1571. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.0319
Razaq, A. G., Alhassan, A., & Omole, P. M. (2023). Corporate governance mechanisms and sustainability reporting practices of listed non-financial firms in Nigeria. FUDMA Journal of Accounting and Finance Research [FUJAFR], 1(3), 1–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33003/fujafr-2023.v1i3.50.1-18
Reddy, S., & Jadhav, A. M. (2019). Gender diversity in boardrooms: A literature review. 7(1), 1644703. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2019.1644703
Rose, C. (2007). Does female board representation influence firm performance? The Danish evidence. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 15(2). 8683.2007.00570.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8683.2007.00570.x
Saxena, A. (2014). Workforce Diversity: A key to improve productivity. Procedia Economics and Finance, 11, 76–85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(14)00178-6
Snaebjornsson, I. M., Edvardsson, I. R., Zydziunaite, V., & Vaiman, V. (2015). Cross-Cultural Leadership. SAGE Open, 5(2), 215824401557972. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015579727
Statista. (2021). Largest banks in the United Kingdom (UK).
Strøm, R. O., D’Espallier, B., & Mersland, R. (2014). Female leadership, performance, and governance in microfinance institutions. Journal of Banking & Finance, 42(1), 60–75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2014.01.014
Suss, J., Angeli, M., & Eckley, P., (2021). Gender, age and nationality diversity in UK banks. Bank of England Working Paper No. 929, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3890344 or DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3890344
Triana, M. del C., Miller, T. L., & Trzebiatowski, T. M. (2014). The double-edged nature of board gender diversity: diversity, firm performance, and the power of women directors as predictors of strategic change. Organization Science, 25(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2013.0842
Triana, M. del C., Richard, O. C., & Su, W. (2019). Gender diversity in senior management, strategic change, and firm performance: Examining the mediating nature of strategic change in high tech firms. Research Policy, 48(7), 1681–1693. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.03.013
Usman, M., Farooq, M. U., Zhang, J., Makki, M. A. M., & Khan, M. K. (2019). Female directors and the cost of debt: does gender diversity in the boardroom matter to lenders? Managerial Auditing Journal, 34(4), 374–392. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/MAJ-04-2018-1863
Yan, M., Zhang, D., Hall, M. J. B., & Turner, P. (2017). How liquid are banks: Some evidence from the United Kingdom. Journal of Banking Regulation, 18(2), 163–179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jbr.2016.3
Zaid, M., Wang, M., T.F. Abuhijleh, S., Issa, A., W.A. Saleh, M., & Ali, F. (2020). Corporate governance practices and capital structure decisions: the moderating effect of gender diversity. Corporate Governance (Bingley), 20(5), 939–964. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-11-2019-0343
Zalata, A. M., Ntim, C. G., Choudhry, T., Hassanein, A., & Elzahar, H. (2019). Female directors and managerial opportunism: Monitoring versus advisory female directors. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(5), 101309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.101309
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 FUDMA Journal of Accounting and Finance Research [FUJAFR]

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The FUDMA Journal of Accounting and Finance Research (FUJAFR) operates a copyright policy that ensures a balance between author rights and wide dissemination of scholarly work.
1. Author Copyright Retention
Authors retain full copyright of their published work without restriction. Submission to FUJAFR does not transfer ownership of copyright to the journal.
2. License to Publish
By submitting a manuscript and upon acceptance, authors grant FUJAFR:
- The right to publish, reproduce, and distribute the article
- The right to identify itself as the original publisher of the work
This grant is non-exclusive, meaning authors are free to reuse their work in other contexts, provided proper acknowledgment of the original publication in FUJAFR is made.
3. Licensing of Published Content
All articles are published under the:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Under this license:
- Users may share and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes only
- Proper attribution to the author(s) and the journal is required
- Any commercial use requires explicit permission from the copyright holder
4. Author Reuse Rights
Authors are permitted to:
- Archive their published articles in institutional repositories or personal websites
- Share their work for educational and research purposes
- Reuse portions of their work in future publications (e.g., books or other articles), provided proper citation of the original publication is included
5. Third-Party Content
Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use any third-party copyrighted material (e.g., images, tables, datasets) included in their manuscripts. Proper acknowledgment must be provided where required.
6. Attribution Requirement
All users of FUJAFR content must provide appropriate credit, including:
- Author name(s)
- Article title
- Journal name (FUJAFR)
- Year of publication












