Accounting for gender : a historical evaluation of the gendered hierarchy of the UK accounting profession

‘Accounting has come to occupy an ever more significant position in the functioning of modern industrial societies’ (Burchell et al 1980: 5). Almost 40 years have elapsed since this comment was made and during that time the UK accounting profession has secured a fundamental presence in the neoliberal global economy, wielding great power. However, the scale and scope of accounting’s success has been gender asymmetrical; women accountants have not achieved commensurate success with men either in terms of ICAEW membership or Big 4 partner numbers. This thesis charts the role and performance of women in the UK accounting profession from 1870 to 2013, critically assessing the reasons why women fail to do as well as men.