The Implications of Lifestyle Preference on a Public Accounting Career: An Exploratory Study

ISSN： 1045-2354

Source： Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Vol.9, Iss.3, 1998-06, pp. : 335-351

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Abstract

This article examines the Lifestyle Preferences, initial attitudes towards the work environment, and the effects of lifestyle preference on thoughts concerning a career in public accounting for a group of 253 newly-hired juniors (133 males and 120 females). Forty percent of the newly-hired females preferred a lifestyle that meant they would leave public accounting and not return until their youngest child was in school (i.e. at least 7–8 years for a 2–3-child family). Nearly all of the females who intend to have both a family and a long-term career preferred to start their family by age 30 (i.e. before being promoted to senior manager). The data show that about 64% of the females, who intended to leave public accounting and not return until their youngest child was in school, would depart at or before the promotion point for manager.