Knowledge Center

Women Accountants

• Women are 49.4% of all auditors, accountants, and investment professionals in Canada.1
• Women are 60.9% of all accountants and auditors in the United States.2
• In a 2011 study, women were half of newly hired accounting graduates at CPA firms, and 40% of all CPAs.3
• This study found that women are just 21% of all partners at firms, although they are 45% of all accounting employees at accounting firms.4
• A 2010  study examined the number of women partners at the Big Four accounting and found that women were 18.1% of all equity partners.5
• By firm, the percentage of partners that were women were:
  • 18.8% at Deloitte6
  • 18.8% at KPMG7
  • 17.9% at Ernst & Young8
  • 16.9% at PricewaterhouseCoopers9
• The same study examined the overall number of women employees at the largest accounting firms. By firm, the percentage of employees that were women were:
  • 49.2% at Ernst & Young10
  • 48.6% at PricewaterhouseCoopers11
  • 48.3% at KPMG12
  • 44.0% at Deloitte.13

Women of Color and People of Color in Accounting

Women of Color

• Women of color earned 14.6% of all bachelor’s degrees in accounting in 2009-2010 school year.14
• Women of color are 15.8% of all of those employed in industries of accounting, tax prep, bookkeeping, and payroll services.15
• In one study, women of color accountants cited various barriers to advancement, including lack of similar role models, stereotypes, exclusion to or lack of access to networks, and lack of access to high-visibility assignments.16

People of Color

• Hiring by ethnicity is on the rise –  the total hiring of people of color for 2011 reached 25% of total hires.17
• Approximately 21% of a firm’s employees were people of color.18
• 50% of women and men of color do not feel obligated to stay within their current firms (though women of color are more likely than men of color to leave for the same money, to do similar tasks).19

Women Accountants in Management and in the Pipeline

• In 2012, women were 11.3% of all CFOs in the Fortune 500.20
• One study found Canadian women partners, principals, and associates all felt their managers were less likely to provide assignments that would help them develop new strengths and skills than men.21

Note: *CIMA fellows are members with considerable leadership experience

How to cite this product: Catalyst. Catalyst Quick Take: Women in Accounting. New York: Catalyst, 2013.

• 1. Statistics Canada, "Occupation – National Occupation Classification for Statistics 2006 (720), Class of Worker (6 and Sex (3 for the Labour Force 1 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census – 20% Sample Data," 2006 Census (2006).
• 2. Current Population Survey, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Table 11 Employed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity 2012," Annual Averages 2012 (2013).
• 3. Scott Moore, Rebecca Mahler, Ruth Ashton, 2011 Trends in the Supply of Accounting Graduates and the Demand for Public Accounting Recruits (AICPA, 2011).
• 4. Scott Moore, Rebecca Mahler, Ruth Ashton, 2011 Trends in the Supply of Accounting Graduates and the Demand for Public Accounting Recruits (AICPA, 2011).
• 5. "Women Continue to Advance into Leadership at Largest Firms," Public Accounting Report (June 15 2010).
• 6. "Women Continue to Advance into Leadership at Largest Firms," Public Accounting Report (June 15 2010).
• 7. "Women Continue to Advance into Leadership at Largest Firms," Public Accounting Report (June 15 2010).
• 8. "Women Continue to Advance into Leadership at Largest Firms," Public Accounting Report (June 15 2010).
• 9. "Women Continue to Advance into Leadership at Largest Firms," Public Accounting Report (June 15 2010).
• 10. "Women Continue to Advance into Leadership at Largest Firms," Public Accounting Report (June 15 2010).
• 11. "Women Continue to Advance into Leadership at Largest Firms," Public Accounting Report (June 15 2010).
• 12. "Women Continue to Advance into Leadership at Largest Firms," Public Accounting Report (June 15 2010).
• 13. "Women Continue to Advance into Leadership at Largest Firms," Public Accounting Report (June 15 2010).
• 14. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS (2011).
• 15. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, "2010 EEO-1 Aggregate Report: NAICS-5 Code 54121 – Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services," 2010 Job Patterns for Minorities and Women in Private Industry.
• 16. Katherine Giscombe, Women of Color in Accounting: Women of Color in Professional Services Series (Catalyst, 2008).
• 17. Scott Moore, Rebecca Mahler, Ruth Ashton, 2011 Trends in the Supply of Accounting Graduates and the Demand for Public Accounting Recruits (AICPA, 2011).
• 18. Scott Moore, Rebecca Mahler, Ruth Ashton, 2011 Trends in the Supply of Accounting Graduates and the Demand for Public Accounting Recruits (AICPA, 2011).
• 19. Deepali Bagati, Retaining People of Color: What Accounting Firms Need to Know: Women of Color in Professional Services Series (Catalyst, 2007).
• 20. Catalyst, unpublished data (2012).
• 21. Emily Pomeroy, Canadian Industry Snapshot: Advancing Talented Individuals in Accounting Firms (Catalyst, 2010).
• 22. Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, "Reflections from Asia Pacific leaders," (2010).