Flexible hours still key for women accountants
Survey carried out by ICAEW and Robert Half
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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