LAHORE: Women are sometimes intimidated by the idea of accounting as a career.  Yet the field has a bright future and a huge scope for those who want to take part and lead the corporate sector of Pakistan. The perception of how difficult accounting is for women needs to change now.

This was the crux of a round table discussion of senior female finance experts who looked at ways to enable more women enter the world of finance with the event being organised by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).  While a great many women have entered the finance profession, they account for only 20% of the most senior posts held in the sector.
“There are proven economic benefits of female participation in the work force, which in turn have a direct impact on gross domestic product (GDP) and other economic indicators. Our research shows that the benefits of having women on board include the belief that women protect business interests, and that they ensure the boards make more balanced decisions,” said Jenny Gu, ACCA Council Member. “Despite these perceptions, there is still much more that needs to be done to ensure boards are more diverse, and discussions such as these will help raise these issues up the agenda.”
Women in Finance Have a Bright Future