How Women are Overcoming Bias in Bookkeeping

Women in accounting and bookkeeping often don’t feel seen or heard due to bias in the workplace, but a new generation has emerged, and they’re eliminating antiquated views about the value of the work they do.

The first step toward changing the perception of bookkeeping is shifting opinions outside of the profession, said Tanya Hilts, CPB, founder of Cloud Business Services. She and Kelly Gonsalves, founder of Totally Booked, were part of a panel organized by Bookkeep on addressing bias in the bookkeeping profession. Bookkeep is an accounting automation platform that both Hilts and Gonsalves use in their businesses. 

Gonsalves, who started Totally Booked seven years ago, said she has actually experienced the most prejudice from potential clients. 

“They’ll say, ‘Oh, you’re just a bookkeeper.’ There’s an old-school view that bookkeeping is administrative work,” Gonsalves said.

Both women agreed that addressing and eliminating bias in the profession starts by educating clients and, sometimes, colleagues on what bookkeepers do and the value they offer.