female compensation levels are viewed in a comparable manner, the differences in average compensation between genders definitely narrows; however there are still differences in average compensation between genders.” Long adds, “The 2015 compensation survey will be delivered
to all members in May. We encourage all members to complete the survey.” Karen Duggan, principal, research, guidance and support
at CPA Canada and a key figure in developing the CPA Canada Gender Compensation report for 2013, is quick to define differ- ences and reasons for how men and women progress through their careers. Citing several Harvard Kennedy School studies on gender and salary negotiation, Duggan describes how women traditionally fare rather poorly when they negotiate their com- pensation — if they negotiate at all. “The studies looked at the starting salaries of graduating classes and they found that few of the women negotiated their starting salary,” she explains. “And of the men, most did negotiate their starting salaries.” The studies found that when women are as hard-nosed as men in these negotiations, they rub against long-standing societal norms to a degree that may well harm their careers. “I think that much of the issue is actually unintended,” she says. “So part of the solution is to have leaders realize there is a problem. And I do believe some will say, ‘Yes, there’s a problem in engineering’ or ‘There’s a problem in law, but not in our shop.’ That’s just not the case.” The 2013 CPA Canada report — like those from the other
professions — clearly shows that even the smallest disparity in pay early on can have a profound effect on overall career compensation. “If you just take what’s given to you without aggressive and reasonable negotiation,” says Taub, “it starts to snowball; and by the time you get later into your career, there can be a significant gap. Men are used to negotiating, and they’re comfortable doing it because it’s how they were socialized. Women think that if they just put their head down and work hard, they’re going to be promoted and recognized.” For Beckton, salary shouldn’t be dependent on the employee’s negotia- tion skills or the biased (unconscious or not) mind-set of the employer. “The solutions to the pay gap are more struc- tural,” she says, “By that, I mean struc- tural within organizations. Trans- parency about how and why people are paid X dollars would go a long way.” Consultant and author Mary Bennett
hopes the gender pay gap revealed in the 2013 survey will ideally promote solutions based on the deeper issues underlying that gap, with CPA and industry firms auditing their pay
Untitled-2 1
practices (and changing them, accordingly). Bennett, member of the American Institute of CPAs and a former risk manage- ment and internal audit specialist, concentrates her consul- tancy on gender and broad diversity issues and is the author of two of CPA Canada’s Career Toolkits for Women. Like Taub, Bennett was a much sought-aſter young execu-
tive, and she experienced and observed inequities playing out that affected women’s career trajectories and compensation. “I think compensation in comparison to your peers, in and of itself, is a validating signal of your success and value. At least, that’s the perception,” she says. “The first step really is aware- ness. So, looking at these surveys is good; we can actually capture some data. From there, it comes down to educating people about what kinds of behaviours are appropriate.” For Duggan, it is very disappointing that unintended bias has
not naturally disappeared as the profession continues to accept more women in its ranks. “It’s been over 20 years where women have been at least 50%
of the starting group every year,” she says. “And if it were a pipe- line phenomenon — where with more women populating the professions then we wouldn’t see continuing disparities — we haven’t got there yet.” To view the 2013 CPA Profession Compensation Study: Supplementary Report — Gender Differences, go to cpacan-
ada.ca/mag-gendergap.
ROBERT COLAPINTO is a Toronto-based freelance journalist
WE KNOW ACCOUNTING AS WELL AS YOU DO.
THE RECRUITMENT FIRM FOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS
CALGARY • TORONTO • MONTRÉAL Paul Landry CPA, CA, MBA 1.877.205.3444
plandry@zsa.ca
VANCOUVER Aman Parmar CA 604.681.0706
aparmar@zsa.ca
ZSA.CA | M ZSA_ACCOUNTING
MAY 2015 | CPA MAGAZINE | 51 3/23/2015 9:07:08 AM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72