Are Madison and Jacob (Still) More Employable than Aaliyah and Xavier (in Public Accounting Firms)?

To embrace diversity, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has launched initiatives to enroll a more diverse population into the accounting profession. This study investigates if racial disparity currently exists despite these initiatives by conducting a blind study of callbacks for eight fictitious applicants of various races, genders, and resume quality. The study found that although no difference in callbacks existed in general between Blacks and Whites, when quality of resumes is considered Whites have the advantage. Further, the study offers practical solutions for CPA firms and higher education to consider in their efforts to achieve more diversity.