And you thought the world of accountants was quiet? Not the place for sex wars? Think again!

According to a new survey, nine out of 10 male beancounters thinks what they like to call their career has been badly affected by female-friendly policies.

But according to the report, Battle of the Sexes, by audit headhunters careersinaudit.com which you can download here, 76 per cent of the men reckon there's a glass ceiling stopping women from advancing their careers.

But the problem, most people say, is more about work-life balance than overt discrimination with 60 per cent of all respondents saying that accounting work harms their personal life and 37 per cent saying that flexi-time is a myth. At the same time, the study suggests that women are not that confident in their own leadership skills.

All of which might suggest there are different ways of discriminating against someone. It doesn't have to be overt.

All up, the study's findings reveal problems of mistrust inside beancounting firms.