Running head: MEN AND WOMEN IN ACCOUNTING History of Women vs Men IN Accounting, Benefits and Challenges of Women in the Industry Name of Student Name of Institution 1 MEN AND WOMEN IN ACCOUNTING 2 History of women versus men in accounting Historically, accounting was highly considered as a man’s job. Over the past years, the male gender dominated the accounting industry. However, records of female accountants date back to the 19th century. Mary Harris became the world’s first chartered accountant and had her own establishment in the year 1888 (Gray 2012). Christine Ross was the first woman in the United States of America to receive licensure in accounting after she qualified in her CPA examinations in 1898 ("Women's History Month: Celebrating Women in Accounting", 2019). The examples of the two women prove that even though the industry was flooded in dominance by the male gender, there were women playing their roles. The scarcity of women in accounting is linked to the ancient notion that the; women are not interested in scientific or mathematical fields. This trend however, is changing in favor of women. Between the years 1983 and 2012, the number of women in the accounting increased from 39% to 60% ("The Future of Accounting is Female: Women in Accounting are on the Rise - CPA Exam Hub", 2019). Advantages of women in accounting The increase in the inclusion of women in to the accounting industries has far reaching advantages. Many people question if bringing more women onboard makes any difference. A recent study by Catalyst shows that the return on equity was at least 53% higher for companies that have more women onboard ("Report: The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women's Representation on Boards - Catalyst", 2019). MEN AND WOMEN IN ACCOUNTING 3 The increase in the number of women in the field of accounting, which has been hitherto regarded to as a liberal profession, has changed the concept that the male gender holds exclusive rights to some occupations (Baldo & Tiron, 2019). Challenges of women in accounting Lifestyle hinder women from being in a position to tap their full potential in professional fields like accounting. Advancing to top positions in accounting such as being partner id very demanding in terms of time. Women often have families and children to tender. The fact that they will be way from families because of their profession deter them from advancing their careers ("The Future of Accounting is Female: Women in Accounting are on the Rise - CPA Exam Hub", 2019). Women take more career breaks as compared to males. This results in loss of expertise in their fields. Some employers prefer engaging men onboard, as they are perceived to take less breaks. MEN AND WOMEN IN ACCOUNTING 4 References Baldo, M., & Tiron, A. (2019). Women’s Role in the Accounting Profession: A Comparative Study between Italy and Romania [EBook] (1st ed., pp. 1-23). Switzerland: MDPI. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329900225_Women's_Role_in_the_Accountin g_Profession_A_Comparative_Study_between_Italy_and_Romania Gray, C. (2012). Notable “Female Firsts” in Accounting | NASBA. Retrieved 30 October 2019, from https://nasba.org/features/notable-female-firsts-in-accounting/ Report: The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women's Representation on Boards Catalyst. (2019). Retrieved 30 October 2019, from https://www.catalyst.org/research/thebottom-line-corporate-performance-and-womens-representation-on-boards/ The Future of Accounting is Female: Women in Accounting are on the Rise - CPA Exam Hub. (2019). Retrieved 30 October 2019, from https://cpaexamhub.com/blog/futureaccounting-female-women-accounting-rise/ Women's History Month: Celebrating Women in Accounting. (2019). Retrieved 30 October 2019, from https://www.rogercpareview.com/blog/womens-history-month-celebratingwomen-accounting
