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Do Not Judge a Book By Its Cover: The Influence of CEOS Masculinity and Religiosity on Financial Statement Fraud Cover

Do Not Judge a Book By Its Cover: The Influence of CEOS Masculinity and Religiosity on Financial Statement Fraud

Open Access
|Dec 2025

Abstract

Research background

Indonesia continues to encounter significant challenges in eradicating fraud, particularly in the context of financial statement fraud. This study contributes to the literature by introducing a novel perspective on the determinants of fraudulent activities, focusing on biological and psychological factors.

Purpose

This paper examines the influence of CEOs’ masculinity and religiosity on the likelihood of financial statement fraud.

Research methodology

The study population consists of mining companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) between 2018 and 2022. Data analysis was conducted using STATA 17.0, and hypothesis testing employed the marginal effects of Logit regression.

Results

The findings reveal that CEOs with pronounced masculine behavior are more likely to engage in accounting fraud. However, religiosity appears to attenuate this likelihood.

Novelty

This study advances the field of accounting fraud and behavioral accounting research, by addressing gaps related to the biological and psychological characteristics associated with fraudulent financial reporting. Furthermore, the findings provide practical implications for both companies and investors, emphasizing the importance of considering individual behavior as well as religiosity when appointing CEOs or making investment decisions.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/foli-2025-0027 | Journal eISSN: 1898-0198 | Journal ISSN: 1730-4237
Language: English
Page range: 153 - 171
Submitted on: Jul 17, 2024
Accepted on: Sep 8, 2025
Published on: Dec 17, 2025
Published by: University of Szczecin
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 2 issues per year

© 2025 Frandy Efraim Fritz Karundeng, Zsuzsanna Szelés, published by University of Szczecin
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.