The Competitive Advantage

Abstract

Isn't it fascinating, and informative, that only 15 years ago an of us--including women--believed that women couldn't do math--and today, more than half those entering the CPA profession are women. I believe accounting is one of the most difficult fields for women because it is so time intensive. But I also believe it is one of the fields with the greatest potential for change, change that will level the playing field for women. Unlike a large corporation, an accounting firm is small and circumscribed. The career path is well defined and internal communication can be clear and direct because all the professionals are similarly well educated. Billable hours are an objective--if not accurate--productivity measure. In corporations it may take many years to make it from entry-level manager to senior management, but it takes only 8 to 12 years to make it to partner in CPA firms. Today, women are crowding the gates to partnership. The fact that half the professionals entering the field are women demands a response--their massive presence cannot be ignored. Change seems possible and the bottom-line case for change is powerful. As Deloitte & Touche chairman and chief executive officer J. Michael Cook has said, If I have 500 partners and only 100 are women, 150 of them are relatively underqualified. THE REALITIES It's simple to know which firms value women. One has only to calculate the percentage of female partners. Why are fewer women than men making partner? Here are eight reasons: 1. It is a culture designed by men for men. 2. There are prevailing stereotypes about women; the most important is that they are more committed to family than to career. 3. Men tend to promote individuals in their own image. 4. Women are handicapped as rain-makers because they don't inherit clients, they want and need to get home to their children in the evenings, they choose tennis over the largely male sport of golf in order to save time and they're not comfortable with some of the traditional forms of entertainment. 5. Women's confidence in their own behavior is undermined. They're damned if they're aggressive, damned if they're not. 6. The further women walk down the corridor of power, the faster the doors are shut. 7. Their image is tarnished by the disproportionate number of women who leave. 8. Women choose--and are forced--to conform. Confronted with the choice of being judged by the same norms as men or by new criteria, women opt overwhelmingly to be judged by the male value system. They identify strongly with the culture of the corporation or firm. Why is the attrition of women higher than that of men? 1. Women face obstacles that men don't: lack of role models and mentors, male stereotypes and preconceptions about women, sexual harassment and exclusion from the old boys' network. 2. Women suffer burnout even more than men do. Most have two jobs--at home and in the workplace--and none have wives at home running the household, rearing their children and supporting their careers. 3. They tend to be given less-desirable clients and assignments. 4. Many who believed they could balance family and work find they can't. 5. Maternity leaves are too short. 6. Telecommuting and reduced work schedules are discouraged. 7. Women tend to be discounted as soon as they have children (often when they've been managers for four or five years and their value to the firm is high). THE POSSIBILITIES But there are factors that can further the advancement of women. They are important because they are forces for change, forces that warrant greater recognition. Firms put a premium on practice development. The rainmaker is king. Women are at a disadvantage because of the time factor and the traditionally male nature of some business entertainment, which can include male--only clubs and nightclubs where women would not feel comfortable. …

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