Equality, equity, and nondiscrimination are core human rights and prerequisites for peace, prosperity, and sustainability that require the commitment of all actors. They have received considerable attention from the European Union, leading to the development of a regulatory framework aimed at promoting gender diversity and the disclosure of information on diversity, equity, and inclusion by European companies. Considering the regulatory pressure from the institutional environment of the European Union that characterizes the period 2011–2020, this study aims to analyze the role played by female directors in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion disclosures of 189 large European companies. Based on international guidelines and recommendations as well as European legislation, we developed a transparency score that assesses the relevance, standardization, reliability, and completeness of the diversity, equity, and inclusion information disclosed by these companies. Using a Tobit regression approach for panel data, we show that board diversity has a positive effect on the information reported by European companies, although this effect is only associated with having at least three female directors or gender‐balanced boards. Moreover, the European institutional context in force since 2014 favors corporate transparency on equality, equity, and inclusiveness practices of European companies and encourages the consideration of the views of minority female directors. The results can improve the understanding of gender equality and corporate transparency regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion decisions made by companies in light of the advent of new mandatory requirements within the EU and the extension of their scope to a wider range of companies.

中文翻译：

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欧盟公司的多元化、公平性和包容性报告：女性董事的角色和欧洲监管框架


平等、公平和非歧视是核心人权，也是和平、繁荣和可持续发展的先决条件，需要所有行为体的承诺。它们受到了欧盟的极大关注，导致制定了旨在促进性别多样性以及欧洲公司披露有关多样性、公平和包容性的信息的监管框架。考虑到2011-2020年期间欧盟制度环境带来的监管压力，本研究旨在分析女性董事在促进189家欧洲大型公司的多元化、公平性和包容性披露方面所发挥的作用。根据国际准则和建议以及欧洲立法，我们制定了透明度评分，用于评估这些公司披露的多样性、公平性和包容性信息的相关性、标准化、可靠性和完整性。使用面板数据的 Tobit 回归方法，我们发现董事会多样性对欧洲公司报告的信息有积极影响，尽管这种影响仅与拥有至少三名女性董事或性别平衡的董事会有关。此外，自 2014 年起生效的欧洲制度环境有利于欧洲公司在平等、公平和包容性做法方面提高透明度，并鼓励考虑少数族裔女性董事的观点。鉴于欧盟内部新的强制性要求的出现及其范围扩展到更广泛的公司，研究结果可以提高对性别平等和公司在多样性、公平性和包容性决策方面的透明度的理解。