women in accounting

Lack of Visibility of Women in Leadership: Why Does it Matter?

We know that women are underrepresented in leadership across the board in this country. In the 2018 Women in the Workplace study our suspicions were confirmed when we learned that across industries progress toward gender equity in leadership has stalled nationwide. The chart below shows that women make up only 22% of the “C-Suite” level positions in this country, with women of color drastically less represented than that at only 4%.

Mind the Gap: A Closer Look at Women in Accounting

Similar to the statistics in the legal profession, women have made up 50% of the accounting talent pool for over 20 years, but that representation doesn’t translate to the partner level. Women only represent 21% of partners at firms with 100+ CPAs. At smaller firms, representation increases to 42%, signaling that some smaller firms have prioritized key strategies for recruiting and developing critical talent. How can more firms follow their lead to meet the demands of the talent gap in the coming years?