Celebrating International Women’s Day #BalanceforBetter today we mark the 110th anniversary of the first pioneering female to be admitted to an accountancy body in the UK.
Ethel Ayres Purdie became ACCA’s first female member in 1909 and the first woman to be admitted as an associate to the London Association of Accountants, a founding organisation of the ACCA.
She spent most of her working life pursuing women’s equality. Where she saw gender inequality she resisted, campaigned and fought for the reform of public policy.
Born in Islington, London, in 1874, Purdie worked as a 16-year-old as a clerk at the Post Office. Here she was involved in a campaign to return deferred pay to female civil servants who had been forced to leave the service due to the marriage bar, the rule that required women to give up their jobs once they got married. Soon after her own marriage in 1897 and giving birth to two sons, she defied conventions by taking accountancy exams and launching a career as an accountant.
The chartered accountancy bodies did not admit women at that time, and the Privy Council, the body that heard applications for royal charters of incorporation, turned down her request to become a chartered accountant as an individual. She eventually joined the London Association of Accountants, which had a more progressive admissions policy.
Purdie became the leading provider of income tax advice to women, eventually operating as the Women Taxpayers’ Agency. She pursued a vigorous campaign against the unfair treatment of married women in the tax system. She was a leading figure in the Women’s Tax Resistance League, which argued that if women did not have the vote, they should not have to pay tax.
Purdie argued that women winning the vote was a key step in redressing wider gender inequalities, and that economic, social and political emancipation was essential to the progress of women. She believed that the success of women in business and the professions depended on access to capital, which should be supplied through co-operative ventures such as the formation of women’s banks – financed, owned and managed by women.
Purdie died in 1923 but remains an inspirational figure to all who seek to forge gender balance and challenge bias.
"The Walker Group has worked with Dutton Moore for more than 30 years. They have acted on behalf of all the Group’s companies and the family and are trusted and highly experienced business accountants, auditors and business advisers."
Lee Davies, A.C.A, Financial Director, Walker Group
"We have worked with Dutton Moore for many years and have always received a first-rate service. The team at Dutton Moore provide us with invaluable accountancy, strategic planning and business advice as we continue to be a growing business in this region."
Simon Gibson, Director at Simon Gibson Transport Ltd, Goole, East Yorkshire
Grain merchants and farmers, Burstwick, East Yorkshire:
Jeremy Saunt, Director at Johnson and Saunt
"We have been clients of Dutton Moore for more than 20 years – they carry out all our accountancy work and business advice, their service and attention to detail is outstanding."
"Dutton Moore are an excellent provider of financial services for significant Hull based businesses such as Smales. We have worked with the firm for many decades and are guaranteed sound financial and business advice, alongside the general accountancy services that they provide. What is key for my Company is the direct involvement of the partners with the Smales management."
Robin Orr B.Com; C.A; C.T.A, Financial Director, F.Smales & Son (F.M.) Ltd, Hull
"Having worked with Dutton Moore for many years now, we have always found the service extremely professional, prompt and courteous. As a growing business over the years their advice has been exemplary and without their valuable assistance in accounting and strategic planning we would have found the many transitions of growth a lot more challenging."
Richard Spencer, Commercial Director, Spencer Signs Ltd, Hull
A round-up of todays’ first Labour Budget from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, from Tax Partner Colin Hamilton... Today’s Budget sees one of the largest increases in tax and spending in recent history. It represents the Labour governments vision of Big Taxes / Big Spending / Big Borrowing in response to a perceived £22B ‘financial black hole’ and the need to re...
Dutton Moore Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers were delighted to sponsor the kit for the First VII netball team of Hymers College as they successfully competed in a regional school’s netball tournament. Supporting local teams, especially sporting teams, is important to all at Dutton Moore – and as such the accountancy practice were pleased to...
The Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget is set against a very challenging economic backdrop with a looming general election. The £400 billion bill for Covid and £100 billion bill for employment and energy support packages plus other financial headwinds (including much higher interest rates etc flowing from the discredited strategies pursued by the previous Prime Minist...