Gendered leadership and reporting timeliness: examining the effect of female leadership and the role of board gender diversity

Purpose - The study investigated the effect of female leadership on financial reporting timeliness and further ascertained how the presence of women on boards impacts the relationship. Design/methodology/approach - Secondary data from the audited annual reports of 29 firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) for the period 2000-2022 was used to achieve the study's objectives. For empirical results, the fixed effect estimator was employed. Findings - Under female leadership (female CEO and female board chairperson), a longer audit report lag is observed. However, in the presence of gender-inclusive boards, shorter audit report lag is observed as female leadership is inversely associated with audit report lag. Research limitations/implications - The study focused on gendered leadership and audit report lag in Ghana, with analysis focusing on data of 29 firms listed on the GSE. Practical implications - The study reemphasizes the need for corporate entities to ensure their boards are more gender-diversified since it can produce desirable outcomes such as shorter audit report lags for the firms. Originality/value - This study, for the first time from a developing economy context, Ghana, provides empirical evidence that although there is a positive effect of female leadership on audit report lag, a more gender-inclusive board can ensure shorter audit report lag (timely reporting of financial results) in the presence of woman leadership.