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Over 40% active CA students today are girls

Over 40% active CA students today are girls

| Published on: Mar 10, 2022 Views: 321


Women are carving a niche for them selves across fields, and chartered accoun tancy (CA) is no different. Debashis Mitra, president, Institute of Chartered Ac countants of India (ICAI) (2022-23) says that today, women comprise 28% of the total membership of ICAI while female students comprise 42% of the total active CA students.

Revealing statistics ICAI Data shared with Education Times reveals that over the past five years, the number of women CAs has seen a constant rise. "The number was 64,685 women CAS in 2017, followed by 70,047 in 2018; 73,807 in 2019; 81,564 in 2020 and 88,983 in 2021," says Mitra.

Among the new admissions in the foundation/CPT courses at ICAI, the number of female students stands at 54,960 in 2021 (45.48% of the total students). The percentage has risen massively from 2011, when the total number of girls taking admission into CA courses was 54,416 (36.54% of the total students).

In the last decade, around 70 female aspirants have topped the CA exams at different levels. The respective number of girl toppers are: Common Proficiency Test (7), Foundation (8), PCC (2), Intermediate (24), IPCC (2) and Final (28).

Myriad of reasons Ved Jain, past president, ICAI (2008-09), says, "Post liberalisation of the Indian economy, the field of CA opened up to better job opportunities for everyone. A conducive environment within offices started at tracting girls to the field. At that time, the two issues facing girls entering a professional field were cost of education and late marriage; the field of CA answered both." Amarjit Chopra, past president, ICAI (2010-11), says, "Compared to professional fields like Medicine and Engineering, the cost of CA education is miniscule, as students basically need to self-study. As for parents being worried about their girl's marriage, few female CAS choose to marry within the fraternity. Also, taking a gap due to getting married or starting a family does not mean the end of a woman's professional journey. CA is extremely open to professionals joining back as long as they keep themselves updated with the field."

In fact, their sobriety and complete dedication makes girls preferred employees for few roles within any CA organisation, adds Chopra. With more girls entering the field, CA offices also started weighing in the advantages of hiring them.

"Male candidates may have taken up the profession due to the societal pressure of providing for the family but with no interest in it. However, girls had to struggle to achieve the status of beinga CA, thus they proved to be great employees," adds Jain. Chopra says that hesi tancy in sending girl CAs for

Travel assignments may be the only road block facing girl CA professionals today. Priti Paras Savla, central council member (ICAI), inde pendent director on boards of various listed companies, busts this myth, "My company has a ratio of 60:40 in favour of women professionals. In case of as signments requiring travel, girl candidates are willing to travel, which underlines their changing mindset," she says.

Puiblished on :-  Times of India

Date :- 07 03 2022

Over 40% active CA students today are girls

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