Gender stereotypes of women accounting academics in Colombia

• Women accounting academics in Colombia are subject to gendered stereotypes. • They experience struggle in resisting those stereotypes and prejudices. • Change is occurring in the Colombian accounting academy over time. • Stereotypes arise from historical patriarchal and colonial gender relations. • Exploring lived experience from Latin America helps to understand the conditions of knowledge being generated there. This paper brings new insights into gender relations within the accounting academy and wider society for women accounting academics in Colombia, which supports understanding of the conditions of knowledge production. Historically, women have been conditioned by prejudices built by stereotypes that pass from generation to generation, which are resistant to change, and cause inequalities and inequities in the accounting discipline. Drawing from semi-structured interviews, we identify the stereotypes arising from beliefs and customs which give rise to prejudice towards women accounting academics in Colombia, affecting their roles and occupations. We argue that stereotypes are historically embedded and derived from patriarchy within Colombian society. Despite the persistence of some stereotypes, we identify women’s perceptions of, struggles with and actions towards changing stereotypes in the interests of transforming gender relations. We show that transformations are occurring in the social categories to which women accounting academics belong, where traditionally being a woman and having a family has been a negative element. Our research supports an enhanced understanding of social categories of gender, of the lived experiences of women accounting academics, and gives voice to the narratives and imaginaries that continue to support a more advanced society in Colombia.