[JustA75Please]

Are there more males or females in accounting firms? From the looks of the bloggers, it looks like a lot more females are taking the CPA exam.

[Anonymous]

I'm not positive because I don't work in a CPA firm but from every article that I've read the accounting industry is predominately composed of women so based on that alone I would say that it wouldn't be unusual to see more women vs. men in an accounting firm.

[Minimorty]

I few weeks back someone asked about female partners in Big 4. One of the links I provided also had the breakdown of all employees, not just partners. I can't find the thread but off the top of my head I think it was like 60/40 in terms of women/men employees.

[Anonymous]

Y'all have to remember that 50 years or so ago, women weren't allowed to take the CPA exam, no matter how qualified they were. My great-aunt was refused and she had a Masters in Accounting. Some people see accounting as a “good-old boys club”, even though it's not now. I know that WHEN I get my license, I will be the only female CPA in the Parish (I'm in Louisiana, we don't have counties). Four men and ME!

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking it's close to 50-50.

From what I've seen, I think it's easier to get an offer when you're a woman than when you're a man…especially if you are attractive.

[Minimorty]

Found the thread I mentioned above:

https://www.another71.com/cpa-exam-forum/topic/partner-in-big-4#post-160077

[Anonymous]

@minimorty – That is some frightening information. I really thought things had changed more than that.

@dreamingofdeloitte – Let me start of by saying that I do not intend to start any drama. I don't want the Drama Ninja on my back and I'm not going to get into a war of words over this. I don't think being a woman has any bearing on whether or not you will be offered a job by one of the Big 4 or any firm for that matter, attractive or not. That is a fairly sexist statement. I have female friends, with CPA licenses, who would be considered drop dead gorgeous by any standards, but cannot get a job because people don't take them seriously. Sometimes beauty and physical attributes are a detriment, no matter how smart you are.

[JustA75Please]

@Minimorty Thanks for the links. Very interesting. btw, did not mean to start anythig. Just interested in the breakdown. Google failed me when I looked for the data. Maybe I failed google search

[Anonymous]

@Kricket: Sorry, didn't mean to offend…point taken back.

Was just basing this off what I've seen but I know now it's not the general rule. Especially from what you've told me.

[Minimorty]

@Kricket – As a moderator of the forums, I'm not sure you should be making such controversial statements. Ha! Just kidding!

I agree. If employers want to be successful, you hire the most qualified and/or best fit for the position.

[jeff]

60/40 Women to Men “Like” my FB page.

It might be because I'm a dude though.

Jeff Elliott, CPA (KS) | Another71 | NINJA CPA | NINJA CMA | NINJA CPE

[Anonymous]

@ Jeff – It doesn't hurt that you look just like Peyton Manning!

I wasn't trying to be controversial. I was simply stating an opinion from the opposite sexes opinion. I'm not a feminist. I'm a conservative. I think people should be hired for their ability and qualifications.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to try to finesse my statement through this minefield and hopefully not get my legs blown off, but here goes. I think that Kricket is right, being hot as hell can actually hurt you as a woman, even if you are just as smart (if not smarter) than the men working at that firm. HOWEVER, some women still use beauty as a means to get ahead and it pisses me off. I work with a complete moron and my boss is such a perv that she just flirts with him and he doesn't realize what a friggin' short bus poster child she really is. But aside from that, I think that women are just as smart (if not smarter) than men haha. My mom was my inspiration growing up…she's an executive VP at a top 3 banking company and she has completely blown away the stereotype that women can't be as successful as men in the workplace.

Long story short: The truth is, Kricket, that a lot of women still rely on their looks to get them jobs, and the sad part is, many men hire them because of their beauty. But it is a double-edged sword for women who are beautiful AND smart, because like you said, they're not taken seriously.

[Anonymous]

@baseballCPA – You are 100% correct. There are some women who use their physical attributes to their advantage. It sucks and makes us all look bad. I say, hire someone on qualifications and ability and not on looks alone. The only time appearance should come into play in a job interview is in attire. This goes for both genders. I've seen men come to job interviews wearing wrinkled shirts, pants that were ill-fitting, and one time, even in flip-flops. I've also seen women in interviews that are dressed like they are ready to go to a night club. Interview attire should be professional not trendy! The truth is there is no happy medium. There are always going to be some women who flaunt certain attributes to get a job at the expense of a more qualified candidate, male or female, and there are always going to be men who are foolish enough to fall for it and vice versa. The bad thing is that in this situation the qualified candidate gets the shaft. I've never claimed to be even remotely pretty. I'm smart. I work hard and people take me seriously, that may be due to my age, who knows. I lost a job to someone who didn't mind flaunting what God gave her once. It turned out to be the best thing that could have ever happened to me. She got downsized 2 years later and I still have a job!

[Minimorty]

This may ruffle a few feathers, but what if you are hiring for a business development (sales) position? You may be put in a position where you have two candidates, a male and a female. The male is slightly more qualified for the position, but the female is drop-dead gorgeous and can hold her own in terms of knowledge. You are in a male dominated industry and have a feeling that the female employee, using her physical appearance, will generate more business for your company? What do you do?

[misanthrope87]

Of course in the higher level positions, there will be far less women compared to the senior and staff levels. Big 4 firms are simply not life friendly. Which means it's certainly not family friendly. Which is why most of the women leave and there aren't too many women in the partner level.

AND I think there is nothing wrong with using your gender or your looks to gain a slight advantage. If the client has some male accountants, I'll probably be asking them for PBCs instead of the female accountants. Males are just friendlier to women overall. If you're going on a job interview and you make yourself look really pretty and attractive (while dressing in professional suits of course), is there something really wrong with that? I think everything is okay in moderation. Flaunt what you have.

Of course, I don't think very well of the women who use their looks too much. For example, doing jack shit and making the load heavier on everyone else. I think it's perfectly fine for women to use their looks to get in the door, and then use that opportunity to produce quality work.

B 2/12 87
A 11/11 90
R 8/11 86
F 5/12 88

[Author]

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