ACCA finds lack of gender diversity at the top
An ACCA survey urges accounting profession to focus on issue of gender diversity at the top
A newly released
ACCA
survey, Paths to the top – best practice leadership development for finance
professionals, found that, although female accountancy students might make up
half or more of those entering the profession, very few were found at senior
levels.
Of almost 3500 ACCA members almost two-thirds of respondents feel it was
easier for men to become finance leaders than women.
As of August 2007, there was only one female financial director in the FTSE
100 and less than 10% of partners with the UK Big Four were female. In all, 63%
of respondents felt ‘it is easier for men to become finance leaders than for
women’.
Work-life balance was cited as the main reason why it was harder for women to
get to the top (67%) but institutional bias and cultural expectations were cited
by 46% of respondents as barriers. ‘Clearly, this remains an issue for the
profession and employers to focus on more as insufficient progress appears to
have been made in the last few decades,’ the report said.
The survey found 44% of respondents felt the recruitment process was
transparent, but significantly, a third felt that it was not.
Further reading:
ACCA calls for big changes at Business Link