Women in CEO duality and firm performance in Europe

This paper investigates gender dimensions in the relationship between CEO duality and firm performance, combining feminist theories and stewardship arguments. Using a large sample of listed firms from 23 European countries in the 2014–2020 period, we have found that CEO duality has a positive effect on corporate performance when a woman holds both the roles of CEO and board chair. These findings highlight the ‘bright side’ of women in governance, suggesting the presence of women in double leadership positions can amplify benefits and/or limits costs related to CEO duality. Having a woman in CEO-chair leadership could optimize a firm’s use of its resources and more effectively contribute to improving performance. Directions for future research could include a better understanding of women in leadership in the organizational domain. Our results have a number of managerial and political implications.