Accountants attempting to address gender gap

Accountancy firms in Scotland are attempting to address the profession's gender gap with a range of flexible working initiatives.

Changes made to make it easier for women to progress in the profession include allowing them to take part in promotion assessments while on maternity leave, according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland (ICAS).

The Herald reports that the organisation believes that accountancy firms need to embrace flexible thinking and address the needs of women more substantially.

Isobel Sharp, president of ICAS and a partner at Deloitte, told the newspaper: "We have to get across the message that having children is not in any way a disadvantage."

A recent report from ICAS notes that a growing number of women are training and qualifying as chartered accountants in Scotland and the number of female managers is now broadly in line with the intake of female students on courses, indicating that younger women are breaking through the glass ceiling.

However, the study also points out that a disparity remains in senior positions within the chartered accountancy profession and at partnership level, particularly in larger firms, with just ten per cent of partners in the Big Four UK accountancy firms currently women.

The report suggests that more flexible working is needed, including part-time posts, to encourage more women at senior level, a cultural change in the working environment and more proactive and positive marketing of the flexible message to employees.

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Date:15/08/2007 12:00:37