Male accountants paid almost €20k more than women

Overall, average salary for a male accountant is €67,757, compared with average female pay of €48,376. This gap of €19,381 has increased by €2,610 since 2012 as women’s pay rises (3.1%) have been half those of men (6.4%).

Even in the first two years of their career when accountants are classed as newly qualified, there is a gender pay gap of €8,357 due in part to a larger proportion of male accountants entering higher paying sectors such as financial services. By 10 years PQE, the gap between average salaries opens up to €25,929.

Men are also more likely to receive a bonus (51% compared with 36%) and it will be a larger percentage (13.7%) of salary for men, compared with (12.2%) for women. In cash terms, the average male bonus is €9,283 and the average female bonus is €5,902.

Men more driven by pay, women by work/life balance

Male accountants are more likely to move jobs for financial reasons whereas a higher proportion of women made their most recent move to improve their work/life balance. Twenty nine percent of men left their last job for a higher salary, compared with 24% of women and 38% cited career development, compared to 31% of women. In contrast, 15% of women last moved to improve their career/life balance compared with just 10% of men and 11% moved for an easier commute compared to 4% of male counterparts.

Equal Job Satisfaction

Perhaps, because of these differing motives and despite the pay gap, job satisfaction between the genders is comparable at 59% for men and 58% for women, and job security for women is slightly higher (77% compared with 74% for men).

Associate Director of Marks Sattin commented:
“The fact that job satisfaction is comparable between the genders suggests that the majority of accountants are reasonably content with the status quo. However, the widening pay gap is pretty gloomy news for the accountancy profession as a whole. It suggests that women aren’t receiving promotions at the same rate as men and are not entering the higher paying sectors. It is vital to address why and when this disparity starts to prevent the financial services sector profession from losing out on potential top talent.”

*Marks Sattin Market Insight 2013 conducted amongst 369 Irish accountants and finance professionals