Books

Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: International Research and Practice
Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Vinnicombe, Susan, Singh, Val, Burke, Ronald J., Bilimoria, Diana & Huse, Morten (Eds.) (2008).

Women on Corporate Boards of Directors brings together the significant international research base with suggestions aimed at individuals aspiring to board membership, women and men currently serving on corporate boards, companies interested in attracting women to their boards, and government bodies wanting to identify the challenges and opportunities facing them as they consider various options for increasing women's representation on corporate boards. This will also be an important book for academics interested in women directors, women's careers at senior levels in organizations and workforce diversity.

Journal Articles

• Hodigere, Renuka & Bilimoria, Diana. (Accepted).
  Human Capital and Professional Network Effects on Women’s Odds of Corporate Board Directorships,
  Gender in Management: An International Journal

  Abstract
  (This) study investigates the proposition that women directors have positive effects on the gender composition of senior management by examining their impact on the number of women corporate officers, the number of women officers holding line jobs, the presence of a critical mass of women officers, the extent to which women officers hold powerful titles, and women officers' pay. The study contributes to extant literature on this topic by undertaking an empirical investigation of a previously theorized notion.

• Bilimoria, Diana (2006).
  The Relationship Between Women Corporate Directors and Women Corporate Officers
  Journal of Managerial Issues, 18, 1: 47-61.

  Abstract
  (This) study investigates the proposition that women directors have positive effects on the gender composition of senior management by examining their impact on the number of women corporate officers, the number of women officers holding line jobs, the presence of a critical mass of women officers, the extent to which women officers hold powerful titles, and women officers' pay. The study contributes to extant literature on this topic by undertaking an empirical investigation of a previously theorized notion.

• Zelechowski, Deborah D., Bilimoria, Diana & Haug, Ralph (2006).
  Female Directors, CEO Characteristics, and Board Structure,
  Journal of Academy of Business and Economics, 6, 1:189-196.

  Abstract
  N/A

• Zelechowski, Deborah Dahlen & Bilimoria, Diana.  2004. 
  Characteristics of Women and Men Corporate Inside Directors,
  Corporate Governance – An International Review, 12, 3: 337-342.

  Abstract
  This study examines the qualifications of women and men corporate inside directors of Fortune 1000 firms. Our results indicate that women insiders differ significantly from a random set of men insiders on several characteristics relevant to their dual positions as directors and officers of the corporation. While they do not differ on the experience-based qualifications of board tenure or corporate tenure, women insiders hold fewer directorships of other corporations, hold less powerful corporate titles, occupy disproportionately more staff functions, are less likely to be top earners of the corporation, and earn considerably less than men inside directors. Implications are drawn for women executives' under utilisation in the executive suite and corporate governance.

• Zelechowski, Deborah Dahlen &Bilimoria, Diana.  2003. 
  The Experience of Women Corporate Inside Directors on the Boards of Fortune 1000 Firms,
  Women In Management Review, 18, 7: 376-381.

  Abstract
  Inside directors are executives who hold the dual roles of officers of the firm and corporate board members. Six women inside directors from Fortune 1,000 corporations were interviewed for this exploratory study. Through systematic coding of the interviews, two independent dimensions of influence and inclusion emerged as the critical factors that enhance or restrict the performance and contributions of women at the top of corporations. Three sub-themes characterized women inside directors' influence: their role in the board's decision making, the bases of influence, and influence strategies used. Three sub-themes characterized the inclusion dynamics experienced by women inside directors: support and acceptance, exclusion, and the nature of the advice they received. Conclusions are drawn regarding the convergence of the influence and inclusion dynamics for women to function most effectively at the top of corporations.

• Bilimoria, Diana & Huse, Morten.  1997. 
  A Qualitative Comparison of the Boardroom Experiences of U.S. and Norwegian Women Corporate Directors,
  International Review of Women and Leadership, 3, 2: 63-76. 

  Abstract
  N/A

• Bilimoria, Diana & Piderit, Sandy K.  1994. 
  Board Committee Membership: Effects of Sex-Based Bias,
  Academy of Management Journal, 37, 6: 1453-1477.

  Abstract
  This study examined whether female directors lack the necessary experience-based characteristics for board committee membership, or whether there is a systematic sex-based bias against them. We tested predictors of the odds of membership on certain board committees for male and female directors and found evidence of sex-based bias in Fortune 300 firms after controlling for directors' experience-based characteristics. Men were preferred for membership in compensation, executive, and finance committees, and women were preferred for membership in public affairs committees. Implications for the selection of committee members are developed.

  • A Research Translation of this article appears in Schor, Susan. M. 1995.
    Sex Bias in the Boardroom.
    Academy of Management Executive, 9, 3, 80-81.