What Does Gender Have to Do With It?

What Does Gender Have to Do With It?
While reading “ Maintain Contact With Clients Year-Round ” ( JofA , Apr.04, page 24), I was quite surprised by one of the suggestions. In an otherwise well-written column, the article gave the following tip: “If your target market is made up of men and you find out most of them like to golf, you could hold spring golf ‘tune-ups.’”

At first, the suggestion made sense. But, then I asked myself, “What does being a man have to do with enjoying golf?” and “Why is there an assumption that my target market is composed of men?”

Professionally, I interact with many women who enjoy golf as much as, or more than, men. More and more women are playing golf, not only for the enjoyment of the game, but also for the significant business-networking opportunities it affords. We would be foolish not to recognize the amount of business transacted on the golf course. The historic exclusion of women from these informal business sessions has been a limiting factor in their reaching the highest echelons of the professional business world.

My issue with the article’s language may appear petty, but these supposedly “little” things add up in big ways. Bottom line—being male or female has nothing to do with someone’s interests. I would like to think our accounting profession is more enlightened and less sexist than the article implied.

Steven E. Rovner, CPA
Tampa, Florida