Abstract:

In the last decade, the study of the effect of women's presence in management bodies has grown. Many researchers are interested in this topic and have tried to approach it in different ways. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the study of gender diversity in the board of directors and the performance of the company. Our contribution is to present a synthesis of the main research on the effect of gender diversity on the board of directors. To achieve this goal, after a theoretical review, we used articles that are derived from the databases namely: Scopus, web of Science and Jstor. The synthesis of the main conclusions of these articles is made according to the object of the study, two axes of research are distinguished: the effect of the diversity of the board of directors on the effectiveness of the board of directors and the performance of the company and the effect of the presence of women on risk taking in firms. The article is enriched by examples of European countries that have applied quotas for women, and this is intended to show the effect of these quotas on the effect of the presence of women on boards of directors, their effects on its functioning and also their effects on business performance.