Tasneem Kadiri (Women in Tax) explains what the Women in Tax group does and how you can help.
Women in Tax is a not-for-profit organisation that was formed in the UK in 2015 with the aim of raising the voice of women working in all spheres of tax, making visible their knowledge and experience through a supportive network that connects people, facilitates skills development and promotes the sharing of ideas. Our network has expanded across the UK and spread internationally. We bring together women working in tax – in the profession, in-house, HMRC or anywhere else – for events throughout the year.
Our mission is to empower, support and promote women. Sadly, we still find instances where there is not enough female representation, whether that is at senior levels within firms or even speaking at events. We strive to make a difference by building connections in the industry; by facilitating sessions to help women reach their true potential; and by taking a stand for all women in the profession.
Women in Tax is free to join and run entirely by volunteers. Within the central team in London, there are currently 12 members who represent firms including L’Oréal, BDO, Rawlinson Hunter, Menzies, RPC, EY, PwC, HMRC, Hitachi, The Trainline, and Macfarlanes. Many other firms are represented in the regional committees throughout the UK.
Our focus areas
Despite the pandemic, we have continued with our work. Our focus areas can be broken down into three key areas:
Facilitating growth: we have hosted a series of monthly events covering a wide range of topics such as increasing your profile; managing the return to work after a career break; identifying and supporting male allies; turning self-doubt into self-belief; as well as practical tax sessions on the use of judicial review; practical tips for handling tax disputes and our annual debate which explored how the tax system exacerbates gender inequality.
Making connections: we regularly host an informal breakfast networking session where we aim to create a friendly and social space for Women in Tax to make valuable work connections and a safe space to discuss issues they are facing.
Raising profiles: as a result of our strong industry connections we are regularly asked to identify commentators and speakers to feature in or draft articles as well as speak at panel events. We always try to provide more diversity by giving the opportunity to showcase the breadth of talent in the industry.
A common misconception is that our events are only for women. I would like to emphasise that they are for both men and women, and we would welcome more men attending. In fact, one of my priorities as chair of Women in Tax is to get more men on board and become male allies to help achieve gender equality in the tax profession. In the absence of male support, women must shoulder the burden of battling this on their own, whether that’s routine workplace sexism and microaggressions or discrimination. This can lead to a sense of isolation, stress and exhaustion. Such a state of affairs is unfair and unproductive when we should empower, support and develop our whole workforce.
The importance of male allies
I strongly believe that the only way to get to true gender parity in the tax profession is for more men to stand up as ‘male allies’. While most men say that they want to support gender equality, some are still not playing an active role in reducing gender discrimination and harassment.
So, what can men in the tax profession do to help achieve gender parity? Some practical suggestions are as follows:
1. Sponsor women through mentoring and coaching.
2. Share your networks.
3. Speak up when a woman is ignored in a meeting and make sure they get the credit for their ideas and accomplishments.
4. Push for more equitable norms and policies in the workplace through more equal hiring and interviewing.
5. Show empathy to life events.
6. Help women to see their full potential and overcome imposter syndrome.
7. Raise the profile of women by providing opportunities and stretch roles.
Forthcoming events
It’s been a remarkable first half of the year for Women in Tax. We won the 2022 Tolley’s Tax Award for outstanding contribution in tax by a non-profit organisation (which my son calls ‘the Baftas of the tax industry’!) and there’s much more to come. Women in Tax will soon be taking part in the London Legal Walk, where we’ll be raising money for TaxAid and Tax Help for Older People, and we’ll be holding events later this year on:
how to progress your career;
how to handle HMRC information requests;
raising awareness around the menopause to coincide with World Menopause Day; and
our annual debate where we bring together tax experts to discuss a topical tax issue.
We also hold monthly in-person coffee mornings in central London and around the regions.
Can you help?
I want to end with a call to readers to help build more connections and support from the profession. If you would like to get more involved or host one of our events, please do get in touch by emailing womenintaxlondon@gmail.com or you can visit our website at womenin.tax. We are all responsible collectively to create more gender equality in the tax profession, and your support would be much appreciated.
Tasneem Kadiri (Women in Tax) explains what the Women in Tax group does and how you can help.
Women in Tax is a not-for-profit organisation that was formed in the UK in 2015 with the aim of raising the voice of women working in all spheres of tax, making visible their knowledge and experience through a supportive network that connects people, facilitates skills development and promotes the sharing of ideas. Our network has expanded across the UK and spread internationally. We bring together women working in tax – in the profession, in-house, HMRC or anywhere else – for events throughout the year.
Our mission is to empower, support and promote women. Sadly, we still find instances where there is not enough female representation, whether that is at senior levels within firms or even speaking at events. We strive to make a difference by building connections in the industry; by facilitating sessions to help women reach their true potential; and by taking a stand for all women in the profession.
Women in Tax is free to join and run entirely by volunteers. Within the central team in London, there are currently 12 members who represent firms including L’Oréal, BDO, Rawlinson Hunter, Menzies, RPC, EY, PwC, HMRC, Hitachi, The Trainline, and Macfarlanes. Many other firms are represented in the regional committees throughout the UK.
Our focus areas
Despite the pandemic, we have continued with our work. Our focus areas can be broken down into three key areas:
Facilitating growth: we have hosted a series of monthly events covering a wide range of topics such as increasing your profile; managing the return to work after a career break; identifying and supporting male allies; turning self-doubt into self-belief; as well as practical tax sessions on the use of judicial review; practical tips for handling tax disputes and our annual debate which explored how the tax system exacerbates gender inequality.
Making connections: we regularly host an informal breakfast networking session where we aim to create a friendly and social space for Women in Tax to make valuable work connections and a safe space to discuss issues they are facing.
Raising profiles: as a result of our strong industry connections we are regularly asked to identify commentators and speakers to feature in or draft articles as well as speak at panel events. We always try to provide more diversity by giving the opportunity to showcase the breadth of talent in the industry.
A common misconception is that our events are only for women. I would like to emphasise that they are for both men and women, and we would welcome more men attending. In fact, one of my priorities as chair of Women in Tax is to get more men on board and become male allies to help achieve gender equality in the tax profession. In the absence of male support, women must shoulder the burden of battling this on their own, whether that’s routine workplace sexism and microaggressions or discrimination. This can lead to a sense of isolation, stress and exhaustion. Such a state of affairs is unfair and unproductive when we should empower, support and develop our whole workforce.
The importance of male allies
I strongly believe that the only way to get to true gender parity in the tax profession is for more men to stand up as ‘male allies’. While most men say that they want to support gender equality, some are still not playing an active role in reducing gender discrimination and harassment.
So, what can men in the tax profession do to help achieve gender parity? Some practical suggestions are as follows:
1. Sponsor women through mentoring and coaching.
2. Share your networks.
3. Speak up when a woman is ignored in a meeting and make sure they get the credit for their ideas and accomplishments.
4. Push for more equitable norms and policies in the workplace through more equal hiring and interviewing.
5. Show empathy to life events.
6. Help women to see their full potential and overcome imposter syndrome.
7. Raise the profile of women by providing opportunities and stretch roles.
Forthcoming events
It’s been a remarkable first half of the year for Women in Tax. We won the 2022 Tolley’s Tax Award for outstanding contribution in tax by a non-profit organisation (which my son calls ‘the Baftas of the tax industry’!) and there’s much more to come. Women in Tax will soon be taking part in the London Legal Walk, where we’ll be raising money for TaxAid and Tax Help for Older People, and we’ll be holding events later this year on:
how to progress your career;
how to handle HMRC information requests;
raising awareness around the menopause to coincide with World Menopause Day; and
our annual debate where we bring together tax experts to discuss a topical tax issue.
We also hold monthly in-person coffee mornings in central London and around the regions.
Can you help?
I want to end with a call to readers to help build more connections and support from the profession. If you would like to get more involved or host one of our events, please do get in touch by emailing womenintaxlondon@gmail.com or you can visit our website at womenin.tax. We are all responsible collectively to create more gender equality in the tax profession, and your support would be much appreciated.
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