It's raining women in the accounting field.
As more women are given the opportunity to have better qualifications (compared to 50 years ago), it is very common to see more of them holding prominent positions in corporations and organisations, be it in business, the public sector, or other industries. In fact, most of the time, the number of women in schools and universities is much higher than that of their male counterparts.
The accounting profession is also experiencing similar global trends. The news could not have come at a better time.
Lady President
As the immediate past president of ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), Gillian Ball will go down in ACCA’s history as the third woman president in the organisation’s 100-year existence. ‘ This is definitely an interesting trend for us, and good news for the profession,’ Ball says.
Asked if she would do anything mind-blowing once she resumes the post, Ball smiles and says: ‘ It is an honour and I am excited, but I won’t be doing anything that others have not seen me do as Vice President. ACCA has everything put in place. I would like to continue that by creating more awareness of the organisation. ACCA Malaysia’s statistics are very encouraging. Even more so now that our numbers reveal that 50% of our members globally are women. It goes to show that accounting as a profession has certainly changed in landscape.’
Numbers don’t lie
These recent results indicate a positive shift in women’s attitudes towards the profession, which was once often thought of as being very male-dominated.
The Georgia State University School of Accountancy, for instance, reported that the number of women in the accounting major has jumped from 50% five years ago to 65% in 2005. In addition, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants revealed that 57% of new accounting graduates in 2006 are women, and women account for roughly 59% of accountants, up from about 39% in 1983.
In Canada, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants reported that 27% of its current membership is female, and that number is growing; the gender breakdown is 50/50 among accounting students leaning towards this designation.
‘ ... there is no reason for a female graduate to doubt herself. These are the additional skills you need and once you have that, you can achieve many things.’
Why more women are in accounting
In explaining the rise in female accounting students’ numbers, Ball offers: ‘ I believe that women who do accounting, do so because they understand the prestige and importance of having such a qualification. The rewards of earning the qualification are tremendous. I think women are finally seeing the many career responsibilities that can spring out from an accounting qualification.’
‘ After all,’ Ball continues, ‘ accounting is not just about balance sheets and numbers: it is also about strategy, organisational skills, management and problem solving. And now, more so than before, accounting requires strong social skills as you interact more with clients nowadays. And that is one skill that a woman is naturally good at,’ she smiles.
Ball also notes that women students generally do better in the course than their male counterparts. Female students study harder, score higher and often graduate at the top of their class.
Of business, self-confidence and work-life balance
As it is now, more and more females are holding prominent positions in accounting and finance. There are many things one can do with an accounting qualification. It does not necessarily mean you need to work in the accounting department all your life. The qualification is also an interesting way for you to get into business and progress further in the organisation.
‘ But a strong sense of self - the confidence to know that they can do the job - is also important,’ Ball advises. She continues to say that ‘ there is no reason for a female graduate to doubt herself. These are the additional skills you need and once you have that, you can achieve many things.’
With many accounting firms and other companies pushing for a more work-life balance in recent years, this will only give rise to more lady CFOs and CEOs in future.
ACCA women’s news and views
When Ethel Ayres Purdie became an ACCA member in 1909, she was the first woman to belong to a professional accountancy body. ACCA celebrates two achievements in gender equality as the first accountancy body to admit women to membership (in 1909) and the first global body to elect a female president. Now, around half of ACCA’s students are female, and in some areas women represent the majority. ‘ If you look at the Asia Pacific region and the developing world, the vast majority of entrants to the profession are female,’ says Allen Blewitt, ACCA chief executive. At the moment, this is most evident among ACCA students and members in Singapore, where nearly 75% are female. But over the next decade, ACCA expects the trend to spread across the world, as female accountants rise to ‘ numerical dominance’ in the profession. ACCA, the fastest growing global professional accountancy body in the world, is a vibrant, modern organisation with a wide range of stakeholders. To know more about the ACCA qualification, please visit our website: www.accaglobal.com
© GTI Specialist Publishers. Reproduced with permission.
