Doubly Disadvantaged or an Exception to the Rules? Minority Women in Accounting Academia

“Evidence suggests that, where women and people of colour are able to gain entrance to the professorate, they are more often than not penalized by reward and prestige systems that favor men over women and Whites over non-Whites … African American female faculty occupy the most disadvantaged position of the four faculty race/gender subgroups studied. To the extent that it is true … Black female faculty experience systematic, significant disadvantages, which can result in serious, persistent obstacles to their recruitment, retention, and success in U.S. higher education.” (Allen et al. 2002, 214-5). This study comprehensively examines 20 years of U.S. accounting doctoral graduates to determine whether such patterns exist in accounting academia. The findings suggest that minority women are doubly disadvantaged with regard to initial placement and placement further in the career, even when controlling for quality of doctoral program.