Özet:

Although women in Nigeria are faced with gender discrimination and stereotyping which sometimes may affect their ability to fully contribute to corporate strategy decisions, there are however an increasing representation of women on corporate boards in the country. In this paper we therefore try to examine the effect women as board of directors have on corporate social responsible (CSR) decisions for conglomerates in Nigeria over a period from 2005 -2014. Our belief is that gender diversity will increase firms’ socially responsible behaviors. The findings from our analysis justify our proposition of a statistically significant relationship between female directors on a corporate board and corporate social responsibility decisions as represented by charitable giving. However, the number of women on board may not exceed two as this will lead to larger board sizes and conflict of guidelines. The study therefore proposes that more reflection of gender inclusive leadership should be embraced by management and government alike if they are to tap the benefits associated with corporate social responsibility. Key Words: Gender Diversity, Corporate Social Responsibility, Nigeria.

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