By Steffen Müller

The number of professional female financiers in South Africa is rising, according to the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) and the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Fasset).

The share of women in finance in South Africa increased to 62% in 2012, according to Fasset. As for the accounting profession, the number of female SAIPA members increased by around 15% over the past two years and the share of women amongst accounting trainees amounts to 63%, the professional body said.

"This is particularly exciting since it indicates that women will remain a significant force to be reckoned with in the future," said SAIPA chairperson Shirley Olsen.

According to Olsen, the rising number of women in the profession is likely to bring an important different dimension on the thought processes and decisions made in business.

"As women we should encourage each other to overcome the obstacles we face in business, precisely because our presence in business is so important," she added.

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While the female presence in South Africa’s accounting profession is rising, women also seem to strengthen their standing in the profession on a global level, a survey of The Accountant‘s sister publication International Accounting Bulletin found.

According to the survey, 63% of respondents said that women are well represented in the profession. At senior level though, still 83% of respondents perceived the accounting profession as male dominated but half of them stated that this is slowly changing, the survey read.

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SAIPA

FASSET