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.