{"id":514,"date":"2022-03-03T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smecpa.com\/?p=514"},"modified":"2022-03-04T14:05:18","modified_gmt":"2022-03-04T14:05:18","slug":"womens-history-in-accounting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smecpa.com\/womens-history-in-accounting\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Women’s History in Accounting and Finance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In honor of International Women\u2019s Day, we\u2019re celebrating several women who left their mark on the fields of finance and accounting, and a few of our CPAs are reflecting on how women before them inspired their journeys toward becoming CPAs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without the powerful and courageous women in history that set the pace for generations to come, our world would look very different. Women in accounting have been breaking the barriers since the 1800s and the number of women in the profession continues to climb. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past 35 years, the number of female accountants has risen almost 20%. From our interns to our partners, SME CPAs would lack in so many ways without the hard-working women that we call our own. We are thankful for the women who have shaped the accounting field to be a place of inclusion\u2014and here are just a few of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 Female Firsts in Accounting and Finance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Christine Ross<\/strong> \u2013 The First Female CPA<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Christine Ross was born in Nova Scotia in the early 1870s. She later moved to New York to become the first female certified public accountant in the United States. In June of 1898, just two years after New York gave its first CPA exam, Ross passed and placed in the top three scores in her testing group. Because of her gender, her certification was withheld for close to 18 months. In late 1899, she received her certificate no. 143 and went on to work with clients that included successful women in business and the fashion industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary T. Washington<\/strong> \u2013 The First African American Female CPA<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Born in 1906, Mary T. Washington was the first African-American woman to be declared a certified public accountant in the USA. After her mother passed away when she was 6, she moved from Mississippi to be raised by her grandparents in Chicago. After graduating college, she founded her own accounting firm in 1939 and was able to train a generation of younger African-American CPAs. Mary T. Washington impacted Chicago so deeply the city now holds September 30th as a day in her honor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Harris Smith<\/strong> \u2013 The World\u2019s First Female Chartered Accountant<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Even though Mary Harris Smith studied accounting from the age of 16, she experienced rejection in the professional world, solely because of her gender. After founding her own practice in 1888, she applied to join the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors but was denied membership on multiple occasions because she was female. After years of law changes and Smith continuing her practice, she was accepted as the first female Chartered Accountant in the organization at 72 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dorothy G. Willard<\/strong> \u2013 First Female President of NASBA<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Dorothy G. Willard was a partner in the Boston firm of Charles F. Rittenhouse & Company. She made history when she was named the first female president of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). Before her role as president, which she served from \u201867-\u201968, she was named NASBA\u2019s treasurer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Margaret Downes<\/strong> \u2013 First Female Member and President of ICA<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As a woman of many firsts, Margaret Downes has accomplished many \u201cfirsts\u201d for women in the accounting profession. Over the course of her career, Downes became the first female:<\/p>\n\n\n\n