As the number of women in executive and leadership roles continues to increase overall, it is more important than ever to close the gender gap in CPA firm partners. These ideas and strategies can be scaled for firms, big and small as Jina Etienne points out in her article.
The good news for women in accounting is that 42 percent of CPAs in U.S. firms are women, so efforts focused on retention and advancement could result in meaningful change in the next few years.
Business ownership in the United States is changing, and that is great news for women. Roughly 30 percent of businesses in the U.S. are now owned by women and growing at 1.5 times the national average.
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Democratization of communication and social media play big roles, allowing women to drive the narrative and be more authentic, thereby reducing pressure to “comply” with male-centric business norms and supporting a shift in the leadership model. Many of us see and appreciate women as leaders and the strengths women bring to organizations and teams.
Today, 37 percent of CEOs in the Fortune 500 are women. However, the pace of change in accounting firm leadership is not keeping up. According to the 2019 AICPA Trends Report, only 23 percent of partners in public accounting firms are women. While that may sound promising, this number has not increased significantly since 1993, when only 19 percent of partners were women. Clearly, we have some work to do.
The good news for women in accounting is that 42 percent of CPAs in U.S. firms are women, so efforts focused on retention and advancement could result in meaningful change in the next few years.
Business ownership in the United States is changing, and that is great news for women. Roughly 30 percent of businesses in the U.S. are now owned by women and growing at 1.5 times the national average.
[spark:newsletter-signup]
Democratization of communication and social media play big roles, allowing women to drive the narrative and be more authentic, thereby reducing pressure to “comply” with male-centric business norms and supporting a shift in the leadership model. Many of us see and appreciate women as leaders and the strengths women bring to organizations and teams.
Today, 37 percent of CEOs in the Fortune 500 are women. However, the pace of change in accounting firm leadership is not keeping up. According to the 2019 AICPA Trends Report, only 23 percent of partners in public accounting firms are women. While that may sound promising, this number has not increased significantly since 1993, when only 19 percent of partners were women. Clearly, we have some work to do.
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