What’s in a Name? The Name Gender of Female CEOs and Gender Difference in Self-Confidence
Prof. SHENTU Lirong
Assistant Professor of Accounting, School of Management, Xiamen University
Date: 21 March 2025 (Friday)
Time: 10:00 – 11:30
Venue: E22-G015
Host: Prof. Rubin HAO, Assistant Professor in Accounting
Abstract
This paper explores the influence of a female CEO’s name on her self-confidence and its role in mitigating the gender gap in self-confidence. Using management earnings forecast data from China’s listed companies from 2004 to 2021, we find that female CEOs with masculine names exhibit higher self-confidence, as reflected in more optimistic earnings forecasts. However, this effect is weaker for CEOs from more gender-equal environments and CEOs with stronger knowledge and skill sets. These findings contribute to the leadership literature by highlighting the role of names in shaping decision making styles of the top echelon. The paper also emphasizes that the gender difference in self-confidence is, at least in part, derived from societal norms and expectations.
Speaker
Prof. SHENTU Lirong is currently an Assistant Professor in the Accounting Department at the School of Management, Xiamen University. Her research focuses on the role of behavioral science in the decision-making processes within accounting, auditing, and capital markets. Her paper was published in the Journal of Business Ethics. She got her PhD in Accounting from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
All are welcome!
