Presence of women on the board of directors and the company?s participation in the business sustainability index

The research aimed to verify whether the presence and percentage of women on the board of directors influences the company's participation in the Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE). Information from reference forms, Economatica, the Bovespa website and ISE portfolios was used. The data analyzed were from the companies listed on B3 in the period 2010 and 2017, and from the ISE portfolios from 2012 to 2019, through an econometric model and the logit estimator. It was found that there is an association between the presence and percentage of women on the board for companies' participation in the ISE and thus, it was concluded that the presence of women on boards has a positive influence on companies' participation in the ISE. The research contributed to the literature by proposing a robust model with logistic estimation and an empirical investigation of women's participation in corporate boards. It also surveyed characteristics of female board members in Brazilian companies and reinforced the positive contribution of women in the workplace in several aspects, despite verifying the difficulties of their access to senior positions.