Nearly two-thirds of female accountants in business felt that flexible working hours, either informal or formal, were an important factor when determining job satisfaction compared to only 39% of men, according to research from the ICAEW and financial recruitment consultancy Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

This finding comes as the number of newly qualified women continues to rise, up from one-third of the total (32%) in the year 2000 to nearly half in 2007 (55% male; 45% female).

The survey also found that employers’ approaches in meeting the ‘ family-friendly’ demands of ACAs in business varied with 69% of those surveyed having a fixed benefits package and only 9% having childcare as part of that package.

Michael Izza, chief executive of the ICAEW, said: 'The number of newly qualified women is rising rapidly and businesses on the whole do seem to be meeting the needs of our members with some degree of flexibility. It is a subject that will continue to dominate UK business for some time and it will be interesting to see if flexible working will become a bigger issue to men.'

The survey interviewed over 3,000 member of the ICAEW who work in business.

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