Where Are All the Women in Tax?

Abstract

Women study taxation at university, whether in their undergraduate or first degree or at post-graduate level, in equal numbers to men, and they have done so for some time. However, the number of women in senior tax roles in the workforce does not reflect this. Moreover, Australia has never had a female Tax Commissioner or female Treasurer. This article seeks to identify why there are comparatively few women in senior tax roles in Australia, particularly in academia, in administration and in practice. It rejects the notion that the problem can be solved by the “trickle up” effect and argues that unconscious bias plays an important role. Although there is no simple solution, the article  provi..