At a department meeting a little over a year ago, one Utah Valley University accounting faculty member spoke up. Michelle Rankin told her colleagues about the disparities she saw for women in accounting at the school and in the state.
In 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 57% of accountants and auditors nationwide were women. The Utah Division of Professional Licensing doesn't track gender for the state’s certified public accountants, but that same year only 25% of the Utah Association of CPAs’ members were women. The organization represents 67% of the state’s certified accountants.
Even though it was “really intimidating,” Rankin told her colleagues about her experiences and those of her students. For example, a student told Rankin that when she was in high school in Utah, she went on a field trip to an accounting firm.
“She noticed that there were 30 partners, and they were all male. And so she felt like, ‘Oh, I can't be an accountant.’ And she actually changed her major,” Rankin said.
Another UVU student told her that one class had weekly guest speakers. None of them were women the entire semester.
Since Rankin spoke up, she’s seen change.
“The biggest success, I would say, is that we're talking about it,” she said. “I think a lot of it is really just a lack of awareness.”
The co-chair of the UVU accounting advisory board is a woman and Rankin is now an assistant accounting department chair. With those two changes, the advisory board leadership is now 50/50 women and men. On top of that, the board as a whole now has three times the number of women than it did when Rankin started at the school in 2021. But “there’s still a disparity” with only seven out of the 26 members being women.
Rankin is also trying to connect UVU students with more women professionals in the field. The department held its first Women in Accounting Panel event in November 2024 with a panel of five women. More than 150 male and female students came.
“Just seeing these professionals who were there and they were successful, and they were working their career, I think, was really impactful.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Ciara Hulet: Why is there a difference between Utah and other states with women in accounting?
Michelle Rankin: I definitely think there's some cultural differences. I think that with the predominant religion, there's a lot of belief that women should focus on their families and not have [a] profession.
I grew up mostly in Utah, and I can't think of a single woman professional that I knew growing up that I had to look to. And so I didn't really know how to navigate being a woman professional or even that it was an option for me. I also think, because of the cultural influence, it's easy for people to make assumptions for what a woman will want to do with her life. And so, often I think women are overlooked for opportunities.
CH: What have the changes at UVU meant for students and faculty?
MR: After our women in accounting panel, we did ask for some feedback from students that attended. One said, “Connecting with professional women in accounting made me feel empowered to pursue the same career. Seeing other women live my dream made it feel like a reality.”
Another said, “It increases the hope I have going into a career. There are more similarities with the women than I thought I was going to have. It gives me hope on having a team of people whom I can connect with.”
I don't know whether those students were male or female, but we also had some male students [who] were overheard talking, “I thought I'd hate it,” referring to the event, “but the message was super relevant.”
CH: How will these changes affect students going forward?
MR: I think just exposing them to the fact that there's a lot to learn from both men and women professionals. I think women often bring a different perspective, and I think respecting both men and women professionals is really important.
One way that I'm trying to also influence things is just by standing up and being who I am, which looks different than what they're used to seeing. And so I have started sharing my CPA journey and the kind of non-traditional route that I took to get where I am with my students. It's a very vulnerable thing to share because I took some time off to be a mother for a few years before I came back. And I sometimes feel like that's held me back, but I've had so many male students who've been impacted by that moment of sharing. You can bring so much value to your career, and others can bring so much value to the profession, no matter what route.
CH: What do you think women in other professions can learn from your experience?
MR: I really think the biggest thing is just speaking up. Being an example and a voice, I think is the most powerful thing that you can do. I think people want to help others have opportunities, and they just don't know.
You know, when I started at UVU, there were some times that I wasn't invited to certain events because there was kind of a subconscious assumption that, as a woman, I would have other priorities. And I think it's really important to speak up and show, “No, this is important to me, and I want to be involved in these ways,” and then that helps change the assumption.
