Female Under-Representation in Audit Profession and Leadership

Despite greater social awareness of gender equality, the underrepresentation of women is still a reality, especially, at higher hierarchical levels. The same issue can be observed either in Statutory Auditor (SA) profession or in Statutory Audit Firms (SAF) management in Portugal. Considering these, the goals of this study are to prove the underrepresentation of women in the SA profession and in the leadership of SAF in Portugal, as well as to highlight some of the reasons that lead to it. Firstly, an extensive literature review was carried out to grasp the reasons for female underrepresentation in certain professions. Secondly, data from the List of Portuguese SA and their firms of were analyzed and interpreted. Finally, interviews were conducted gathering ten SA members who belong to SAF management, selected under a convenience sample based on a predefined criteria. The results obtained allowed us to conclude about the underrepresentation of women in SA profession and in the leadership of their firms. This, and the other factors mentioned are connected to the historical male dominance in SA, which influences current women representativeness. As to the leadership of SAF, the main reason that keeps women at a lower level in the hierarchy is work-life balancing difficulty, usually with a great impact when combined with motherhood. But the presence of women in leader positions is positive because of the diversity it adds at different levels and identifying an area where there is women underrepresentation might be a contribute to UN ODS 5 about gender equality.