More than 40% of all CA students are Girls now

Women are carving out a place for themselves in a variety of areas, including chartered accounting (CA). According to Debashis Mitra, president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) (2022-23), women now account for 28 percent of overall ICAI membership, while female students account for 42 percent of total active CA students.

Statistic Disclosure

According to ICAI data provided with Education Times, the number of women CAs has steadily increased over the last five years. “In 2017, there were 64,685 female CAs, followed by 70,047 in 2018, 73,807 in 2019, 81,564 in 2020, and 88,983 in 2021,” says Mitra.

In 2021, the number of female students admitted to ICAI’s foundation/CPT courses will be 54,960. (45.48 percent of the total students). The percentage has increased dramatically since 2011, when the total number of girls admitted to CA programmes was 54,416. (36.54 percent of the total students).

Approximately 70 female aspirants have topped the CA exams at various levels during the last decade. The number of female top scorers in each subject is as follows: Common Proficiency Test (7), Foundation (8), PCC (2), Intermediate (24), IPCC (2), and Final (28).

A Plethora of Causes

“Post liberalisation of the Indian economy, the area of CA opened up to improved work prospects for everyone,” says Ved Jain, past president of the ICAI (2008-09). “A welcoming climate within offices began to lure females to the industry. At the time, the two obstacles that girls faced while entering a professional sector were the cost of education and late marriage; the field of CA addressed both.”

“Compared to professional areas like Medicine and Engineering, the expense of CA education is small, as students primarily need to self-study,” says Amarjit Chopra, past president of the ICAI (2010-11). “Concerned about their daughter’s marriage, few female CAs choose to marry within the fraternity. Also, taking a break to marry or establish a family does not imply the end of a woman’s professional career. CA is very welcoming to professionals returning as long as they stay current in the industry.”

In fact, according to Chopra, girls are preferred employees for a select roles within every CA firm due to their sobriety and total focus.

As more women entered the business, CA offices began to consider the benefits of recruiting them. “Male candidates may have entered the job due to societal pressure to provide for the family, but they may have had little interest in it. However, because girls had to work hard to acquire the rank of CA, they proved to be excellent employees,” Jain adds.

According to Chopra, the only hurdle that girl CA professionals face today is a reluctance to send them on travel assignments. Priti Paras Savla, central council member (ICAI) and independent director on the boards of several publicly traded firms, debunks this notion. “In my workplace, women professionals outnumber males 60:40. “Girl candidates are eager to go for assignments that require travel, highlighting the changing perspective,” she says.

Students Speak Up

After completing high school in the Commerce stream, a career in CA was chosen because the field had few financial or social barriers for women.

– Nivedita N, AIR 3, CA Final December 2021 exam

A variety of job opportunities and the possibility to maintain a healthy work-life balance drew me to the sector. My parents approved my option because CA preparation was inexpensive and did not require me to travel outside of the city.

– Kinjal Ajmera, AIR 1, CA Intermediate (New course) exam.

Source: Times of India