Further evidence on non-audit fees: using the context of female directors on audit committees

Purpose This study aims to examine the association between non-audit fees and audit quality by using the context of gender-diverse audit committees. Further, the authors assess whether this link is moderated by industry-specialist auditors. Design/methodology/approach This study used non-financial FTSE-350 firms over the period of seven years. In addition, the authors use ordinary least squares regression to test the research hypotheses. Findings The authors find that female directors on audit committees are negatively related to non-audit fees, suggesting that non-audit fees reduce audit quality. Moreover, the results indicate that industry-specialist auditors positively moderate the link between gender-diverse audit committees and non-audit fees. This suggests that non-audit fees improve audit quality when the auditor is an industry-specialist. Practical implications The study does not support blanket restrictions on non-audit fees. It recommends regulators to consider industry expertise of auditors when devising non-audit fee restrictions. Moreover, the findings of this study have implications for firms aiming to understand whether non-audit fees could be used for enhancing audit quality. Originality/value By using the context of female directors on audit committees, the authors conclusively assess the link between non-audit fees and audit quality. Further, this study provides a more robust evidence on whether industry-specialist auditors affect the relationship between non-audit fees and audit quality.