IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/crpeac/v99y2024ics1045235423000813.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Patriarchy persists: Experiences of barriers to women's career progression in Italian accounting academia

Author

Listed:
  • Galizzi, Giovanna
  • McBride, Karen
  • Siboni, Benedetta

Abstract

There are fewer women in the upper echelons of accounting academia in Italy than in other European countries, and fewer female full professors than in other disciplines at Italian universities. The purpose of this research is to investigate the barriers experienced by Italian women in accounting academia and contributes withsuggestions to alleviate these. The paper adopts a phenomenographic approach to identify the ways in which a group of 24 Italian women, at different hierarchical levels, experienced barriers to their academic careers. The study identifies different categories of barriers that combine to prevent female perspectives and progression within accounting academia. Underpinning these barriers is a patriarchal culture that has a significant influence on women’s careers in academia. Thepatriarchal structure in both the workplace and society, engendersdifficulties in maintaining work-life balance, and shapesmale and female roles in the academic workplace.

Suggested Citation

  • Galizzi, Giovanna & McBride, Karen & Siboni, Benedetta, 2024. "Patriarchy persists: Experiences of barriers to women's career progression in Italian accounting academia," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:99:y:2024:i:c:s1045235423000813
    DOI: 10.1016/j.cpa.2023.102625
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1045235423000813
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.cpa.2023.102625?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lupu, Ioana, 2012. "Approved routes and alternative paths: The construction of women's careers in large accounting firms. Evidence from the French Big Four," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 351-369.
    2. Loft, Anne, 1992. "Accountancy and the gendered division of labour: A review essay," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 17(3-4), pages 367-378.
    3. Kim, Soon Nam, 2008. "Whose voice is it anyway? Rethinking the oral history method in accounting research on race, ethnicity and gender," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 19(8), pages 1346-1369.
    4. Barker, Patricia C. & Monks, Kathy, 1998. "Irish women accountants and career progression: a research note," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 23(8), pages 813-823, November.
    5. Haynes, Kathryn, 2008. "Transforming identities: Accounting professionals and the transition to motherhood," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 620-642.
    6. Pezzoni, Michele & Sterzi, Valerio & Lissoni, Francesco, 2012. "Career progress in centralized academic systems: Social capital and institutions in France and Italy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 704-719.
    7. Komori, Naoko, 2015. "Beneath the globalization paradox: Towards the sustainability of cultural diversity in accounting research," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 141-156.
    8. Lehman, Cheryl R., 2019. "Reflecting on now more than ever: Feminism in accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    9. repec:eme:aaaj00:09513579210017361 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Kathryn Haynes & Anne Fearfull, 2008. "Exploring ourselves," Pacific Accounting Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(2), pages 185-204, July.
    11. Melanie E. Ward, 2001. "Gender and Promotion in the Academic Profession," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 48(3), pages 283-302, August.
    12. Ludivine Perray-Redslob & Dima Younes, 2021. "Accounting and gender equality in (times of) crisis: toward an accounting that accommodates for emotional work?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 35(1), pages 229-239, October.
    13. Stephen Walker, 2011. "Professions and patriarchy revisited. Accountancy in England and Wales, 1887-1914," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 185-225.
    14. Stephen P. Walker, 2008. "Accounting histories of women: beyond recovery?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(4), pages 580-610, May.
    15. Susana Gago & Marta Macías & Steven Cahan, 2014. "A possible explanation of the gender gap among accounting academics: evidence from the choice of research field," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 54(4), pages 1183-1206, December.
    16. Roberts, Jennifer & Coutts, J. Andrew, 1992. "Feminization and professionalization: A review of an emerging literature on the development of accounting in the United Kingdom," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 17(3-4), pages 379-395.
    17. Giovanna Galizzi & Benedetta Siboni, 2016. "Positive action plans in Italian universities: does gender really matter?," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(2), pages 246-268, June.
    18. Ben-Amar, Walid & Bujaki, Merridee & McConomy, Bruce & McIlkenny, Philip, 2021. "Gendering merit: How the discourse of merit in diversity disclosures supports the gendered status quo on Canadian corporate boards," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    19. Grant Samkin & Annika Schneider, 2014. "Using university websites to profile accounting academics and their research output," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(1), pages 77-106, July.
    20. Sonja Gallhofer & Catriona Paisey & Clare Roberts & Heather Tarbert, 2011. "Preferences, constraints and work‐lifestyle choices," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(4), pages 440-470, May.
    21. Fiona Anderson‐Gough & Rhoda Brown, 2008. "University management practices, accounting, gender and institutional denial," Pacific Accounting Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(2), pages 94-101, July.
    22. Helen Irvine & Lee Moerman & Kathy Rudkin, 2010. "A green drought: the challenge of mentoring for Australian accounting academics," Accounting Research Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 23(2), pages 146-171, September.
    23. Jane Broadbent & Linda Kirkham, 2008. "Glass ceilings, glass cliffs or new worlds?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(4), pages 465-473, May.
    24. Ogharanduku, Bridget Efeoghene & Jackson, William J. & Paterson, Audrey S., 2021. "Beautiful SWAN, or ugly duckling? The attempt to reduce gender inequality by the Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    25. Lee D. Parker & James Guthrie, 2014. "Addressing directions in interdisciplinary accounting research," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(8), pages 1218-1226, October.
    26. repec:eme:aaaj00:09513570810872932 is not listed on IDEAS
    27. Benedetta Siboni & Daniela Sangiorgi & Federica Farneti & Charl de Villiers, 2016. "Gender (in) accounting: insights, gaps and an agenda for future research," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(2), pages 158-168, June.
    28. Hopwood, Anthony G., 1987. "Accounting and gender: An introduction," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 65-69, January.
    29. Gina Gaio Santos, 2015. "Narratives about Work and Family Life among Portuguese Academics," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 1-15, January.
    30. Giulio Marini & Viviana Meschitti, 2018. "The trench warfare of gender discrimination: evidence from academic promotions to full professor in Italy," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 115(2), pages 989-1006, May.
    31. Stephen P. Walker, 2008. "Accounting histories of women: beyond recovery?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(4), pages 580-610, May.
    32. Kornberger, Martin & Carter, Chris & Ross-Smith, Anne, 2010. "Changing gender domination in a Big Four accounting firm: Flexibility, performance and client service in practice," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(8), pages 775-791, November.
    33. Claire Dambrin & Caroline Lambert, 2008. "Mothering or auditing? The case of two Big Four in France," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(4), pages 474-506, May.
    34. Claire Dambrin & Caroline Lambert, 2012. "Who is she and who are we? A reflexive journey in research into the rarity of women in the highest ranks of accountancy," Post-Print hal-00687845, HAL.
    35. Maria-Gabriella Baldarelli & Mara Del Baldo & Stefania Vignini, 2019. "The first women accounting masters in Italy: between tradition and innovation," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 39-78, January.
    36. repec:eme:aaaj00:09513571111133054 is not listed on IDEAS
    37. Haynes, Kathryn, 2017. "Accounting as gendering and gendered: A review of 25 years of critical accounting research on gender," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 110-124.
    38. Dambrin, Claire & Lambert, Caroline, 2012. "Who is she and who are we? A reflexive journey in research into the rarity of women in the highest ranks of accountancy," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 1-16.
    39. Maria Gabriella Baldarelli & Mara Del Baldo & Stefania Vignini, 2016. "Pink accounting in Italy: cultural perspectives over discrimination and/or lack of interest," Meditari Accountancy Research, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(2), pages 269-292, June.
    40. Kathryn Haynes, 2008. "Moving the gender agenda or stirring chicken's entrails?," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(4), pages 539-555, May.
    41. Christine Cooper, 1992. "The Non and Nom of Accounting for (M)other Nature," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 5(3), pages 1-1, September.
    42. Sonja Gallhofer & Catriona Paisey & Clare Roberts & Heather Tarbert, 2011. "Preferences, constraints and work‐lifestyle choices," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(4), pages 440-470, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Haynes, Kathryn, 2017. "Accounting as gendering and gendered: A review of 25 years of critical accounting research on gender," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 110-124.
    2. Ala-Heikkilä, Virpi & Lämsä, Anna-Maija & Järvenpää, Marko, 2024. "Management accountants—A gendered image," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    3. Sian, S. & Agrizzi, D. & Wright, T. & Alsalloom, A., 2020. "Negotiating constraints in international audit firms in Saudi Arabia: Exploring the interaction of gender, politics and religion," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    4. Maria-Victoria Uribe-Bohorquez & Juan-Camilo Rivera-Ordóñez & Isabel-María García-Sánchez, 2023. "Gender disparities in accounting academia: analysis from the lens of publications," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(7), pages 3827-3865, July.
    5. Sian, S., 2023. "Off-ramps and on-ramps: Career continuity and discontinuity in professional accountancy," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    6. Dambrin, Claire & Lambert, Caroline, 2012. "Who is she and who are we? A reflexive journey in research into the rarity of women in the highest ranks of accountancy," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 1-16.
    7. Bitbol-Saba, Nathalie & Dambrin, Claire, 2019. "“It’s not often we get a visit from a beautiful woman!” The body in client-auditor interactions and the masculinity of accountancy," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    8. Amondarain, Josune & Aldazabal, M. Edurne & Espinosa-Pike, Marcela, 2023. "Gender differences in the auditing stereotype and their influence on the intention to enter the profession," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    9. Mara Del Baldo & Adriana Tiron-Tudor & Widad Atena Faragalla, 2018. "Women’s Role in the Accounting Profession: A Comparative Study between Italy and Romania," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-23, December.
    10. Jeffrey R. Cohen & Derek W. Dalton & Lori L. Holder-Webb & Jeffrey J. McMillan, 2020. "An Analysis of Glass Ceiling Perceptions in the Accounting Profession," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 17-38, June.
    11. Gilbert, Christine & Everett, Jeff & de Castro Casa Nova, Silvia Pereira, 2024. "Patriarchy, capitalism, and accounting: A herstory," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    12. Faragalla Widad Atena & Adriana Tiron-Tudor, 2019. "Gender as a Dimension of Inequality in Accounting Organizations and Developmental HR Strategies," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-24, December.
    13. Adriana Tiron-Tudor & Widad Atena Faragalla, 2018. "Women Career Paths in Accounting Organizations: Big4 Scenario," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-16, October.
    14. Lehman, Cheryl R., 2019. "Reflecting on now more than ever: Feminism in accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    15. Baker, Darren T & Brewis, Deborah N, 2020. "The melancholic subject: A study of self-blame as a gendered and neoliberal psychic response to loss of the ‘perfect worker’," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    16. Lupu, Ioana, 2012. "Approved routes and alternative paths: The construction of women's careers in large accounting firms. Evidence from the French Big Four," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 351-369.
    17. Egan, Matthew & Voss, Barbara de Lima, 2023. "Redressing the Big 4’s male, pale and stale image, through LGBTIQ+ ethical praxis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    18. Joyce, Yvonne & Walker, Stephen P., 2015. "Gender essentialism and occupational segregation in insolvency practice," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 41-60.
    19. Sheerin, Corina & Garavan, Thomas, 2022. "Female leaders as ‘Superwomen’: Post-global financial crisis media framing of women and leadership in investment banking in UK print media 2014–2016," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    20. Ashley, Louise & Empson, Laura, 2016. "Convenient fictions and inconvenient truths: Dilemmas of diversity at three leading accountancy firms," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 76-87.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:crpeac:v:99:y:2024:i:c:s1045235423000813. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/critical-perspectives-on-accounting/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.