Nine out of 10 male accountants believe they have been adversely affected by attempts to create a more favorable working environment for women in Europe, new research reveals.

Recruitment specialists Careers in Audit found that many men working in the profession claimed that women were being promoted even if they do not deserve it. The resentment ran high despite 76 percent of male accountants backing the view that a "glass ceiling" still exists which prevents women from progressing.

The reason for the glass ceiling, the study said, is more to do with the need for women to achieve a work-life balance than discrimination in the workplace. Two-thirds of all those surveyed gave the impossibility of raising a family as the main reason so few women make it to a partner in accounting firms.

Max Williamson, Careers in Audit chief executive, said: "While our research reveals strong ambition amongst women, it raises important questions. Initiatives to give greater opportunities to women appear to be resented by men, while many women who want to get to the top appear to be short of confidence in their own leadership skills.

"There is a lot of work to be done within the profession to iron out the mistrust, misunderstandings and differences of perception that currently exist between the sexes

"Climbing the corporate ladder requires sacrifice, irrespective of one’s sex, but there is no reason why it should be incompatible with raising a family. Solutions can be found if both senior management and female employees are willing to bend."