An international survey of accountants has found that nine-out-of-every-ten men believe they have been adversely affected by attempts to create a more favourable working environment for women.
The research published by audit recruitment specialists www.careersinaudit.com, also revealed that many men believe that women are being promoted even if they do not deserve it. These feelings of resentment amongst male accountants run high despite 76% of men surveyed believing that a ìglass ceilingî preventing women from progressing does still exist.
The reason for this glass ceiling, according to the ìBattle of the Sexes?î study, 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.
Yet womenís lack of success in breaking through the glass ceiling is not for lack of ambition. 22% of female and 24% of male respondents see their career objective as climbing the corporate ladder as far possible. More men, on the other hand, emphasise earning money (22%) compared to women (10%), reflecting the traditional role of men as the breadwinner. The sexes were united by the search for happiness, however, with an overall 43% of respondents citing this as their top career objective.
Other highlights of the research include:
82% of all respondents believe that a glass ceiling does exist in the accounting sector;
Only 20% of accountants believe the glass ceiling syndrome is more prevalent in the audit and accounting industry than any other;
60% of all respondents believe requirements of working as an accountant harms their personal life, with almost a quarter (24%) admitting to missing important family and social events in order to be at work;
Not a single female respondent believed that women are better equipped to be leaders than men, even though 2% of male respondents believe womenís skills are more suited to this role. In contrast 58% of male respondents felt that men make better leaders than women; as did 30% of women.
About half of all male and female respondents (54% and 49% respectively) have aspirations to be a partner;
37% of all respondents believe that flexi-time is a myth rather than a reality with a further 23% believing that it does exist, though not in their company.
Max Williamson, CEO at Careers in Audit adds:
ìWhile 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.
ìThere 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
ìClimbing the corporate ladder requires sacrifice, irrespective of oneís 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.
ìPractically speaking, senior managers need to take the lead and voice genuine support for such policies. They must create an environment in which women do not feel ostracised for having a family.
ìWe estimate that Europe needs an extra 50,000 auditors so itís clear that companies need to attract, retain and promote as many women as possible to maintain standards. Those companies that provide support for women will reap the benefits in better staff retention and lower recruitment costs.î
Male accountants feel the threat as female colleagues aim for the top
An international survey of accountants has found that nine-out-of-every-ten men believe they have been adversely affected by attempts to create a more favourable working environment for women
