The Effect of Gender Diversity in Audit Committee on Performance

In this study, the effects of female representation on a firm's audit committees on the financial and non-financial performance of companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange have been studied. Therefore, 114 companies from 2013 to 2019 were studied. Financial performance indicators include 5 measures including return on assets, Tobin's Q ratio, return on equity, operating profit growth, and price to profit ratio, and non-financial performance indicators include 4 measures including defect-free rate, market share ratio, product market competition, and Intellectual capital. According to the literature, it was expected that female representation on the audit committee would have a positive and significant effect on the performance of companies. These hypotheses were tested by a multivariate regression test. In sum, the results show that the female representation on the audit committee has a positive and significant effect on the non-financial performance and has a negative effect on the financial performance of companies. Therefore, it is recommended that this issue be considered by shareholders, regulators, and other actors in corporate governance.