Jodhpur: The number of female chartered accountants in the country has now topped 48% of the qualifiers. In the overall pool, women CAs have made a 30% share, making a massive jump from 8% in 2000, according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). Overall, women CAs make up 43% of overall 8.63 lakh students.
Additionally, women CAs have now started leading in various branches of ICAI across the country. For the first time in the five-decade, the ICAI branch in Rajasthan's Jodhpur is headed by a female CA Pooja Dhoot Rathi.
“In the last five years, the number of female CA aspirants has increased to 44% and the success rate is even higher for the girls who cleared all the exams. This is also because there’s a huge scope for CAs once they complete their degree,” Rathi said.
She also pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has acknowledged the growing interest of students in the field of chartered accountants. Notably, the ICAI was established in 1949 and the Chartered Accountants Act was a statute enacted by the Constituent Assembly of India
With the rapid growth of the Indian economy, CA Rathi assumes that the country will have at least 25 lakh CAs by 2047. The governing body is working with a similar vision and promoting women’s participation in the field.
As of now, the average salary of an accounting and auditing professional goes up to Rs 12.5 lakh for a fresher. Additionally, the flexibility and affordability of the cost are a big attraction for students. This has led to more women CA aspirants in the last few years. In 2023, ICAI introduced a new course in sync with the National Education Policy, 2020.