Audit quality is a much studied issue. Recently, various auditing researchers have looked at the idea that audit quality may be systematically related to the auditor being male or female. Although this seams a genuine research question, the approach adopted by these researchers (incorporating...

This study investigates the existence of a female audit fee premium audit fees for female audit engagement partners from Belgian firms that were audited by 93 female and 599 male audit partners during the period 2008–2011. The results suggest that client firms pay higher audit fees female...

Although the proportion of women in the audit profession has increased sharply during the last quart of the 20th century, they remain to date a minority in a male-dominated profession. While an equal number of women and men have been entering the profession for over two decades, they are not...

Previous research has hinted a potential impact of auditor gender on audit quality. It appears that, for example, men are less risk-averse than women. Female auditors may, therefore, express more severe audit opinions than male auditors. This paper addresses a potential major bias underlying the...

The comparability of financial statements is an important research topic in accounting literature. The introduction of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Europe has not eliminated the need for research concerning this topic, on the contrary. Several studies already...

In Belgium, all “large” companies are legally required to appoint a statutory auditor. The thresholds of the criteria to be considered “large” are, however, not that large. Consequently, many relative small companies in Belgium are legally required to appoint a statutory auditor. The...

Audit firms can shape and foster the desired behavior of their partners in accordance with the firm's strategy and objectives through compensation schemes. Understanding financial incentives is therefore of great importance, especially to ensure that auditors actually deliver high quality work....