Why the Nonprofit World Has a Bias Against Women and How to Break the Bias

It’s true. Ask any woman who has worked in the nonprofit world if there is a bias against women and you will get a resounding “yes!” 9 out of 10 times.

In fact, I recently conducted a LinkedIn poll about this very topic. Guess what the results were?

Take a look:

poll on gender bias

You might say, “Yeah, but Holly, fourteen percent of people that said there is no bias!”

Well, let me tell you (since I can see the backend…) 85% of the fourteen percent, who said there isn’t any discrimination against women in the nonprofit arena (i.e. What gender discrimination?), are male.

Just saying.

This topic isn’t a new one to Grant Writing & Funding as we have also brought up why women grant writers charge less for nonprofit service compared to men.

But bias against women who work in the nonprofit world is a topic that we will be delving into more and more. That’s because it is an important one to address and change.

Gender bias is not a new topic to Mazarine Treyz, either. In fact, she is a huge advocate to end patriarchy, especially in the nonprofit space!

That’s why it is so amazing to connect with her and have her on the Grant Writing podcast and YouTube show this week.

What Mazarine and I Discuss about Ending Bias Against Women in the Nonprofit World

  • Women and sexism in the nonprofit field
  • White supremacy culture affecting freelance grant writers
  • The 40 hour work week – why that isn’t set in stone and what rhythm might work better
  • How women can negotiate and ask for what they want
  • And much, much more!

About Mazarine Treyz

Mazarine headshot

Mazarine Treyz is a nonprofit leadership coach, speaker and best selling author of “The Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising”, serving people in over 70 different countries.

Mazarine specializes in helping nonprofit leaders with fundraising goals through authentic relationships both online and offline. As a result, clients have doubled monthly donors, taken their schools from 10K to 170K in recurring revenue, and created their own global nonprofits.

Treyz has co-founded a nonprofit and has over a decade of experience as a nonprofit fundraiser in small shops. Today, Mazarine Treyz leads the nonprofit workplace justice movement to create a better nonprofit work culture through her writing, training, podcast and keynote speeches.

Connect with Mazarine Treyz

For the Freelance grant writer who has transitioned into freelancing but now is suffering from value-mindset issues and imposter syndrome.

A letter from Mazarine

“Value mindset and imposter syndrome is very common in women. SOCIETY WAS BUILT ON WOMEN’S UNCOMPENSATED LABOR.

Why?

For years we were told we had to do work for free. That was what being a woman was all about. Like, you watch the kids, care for the elders, cook, clean, for the love. We need to remember that our labor, including housework, is STILL WORK. And there is a wage for housework movement.

But because we are a product of our conditioning, we devalue ourselves when it comes to work. This is so common. 

And only recently has it changed. Up until the 1970s women couldn’t open a bank account by themselves

Women making great money with her emotional labor and the quality of her ideas is DEEPLY subversive.

Please remember all of this the next time someone finds an issue with the very idea of a coach being well-paid.

Or thinks you’re charging too much.

Or says you should do what you do for free.

Or tries to get you to charge by the hour.

Or tries to police how you use your money.

Or in any other way tries to link your money with moral defect.

Misogyny runs deep and wide. It’s in the air we breathe and the water we drink.

It is often internalized and weaponized by women to be used against themselves, or against each other.

When you see it, you can recognize it, have compassion for our collective wound… and lovingly, peacefully AND uncompromisingly set a new standard.”

Thank you, Mazarine for the powerful and empowering words and interview! WE appreciate the work you do!

White supremacy culture affecting freelance grant writers

White supremacy culture stages*:

  1. Perfectionism
  2. Sense of Urgency
  3. Defensiveness
  4. Quantity over Quality
  5. Worship of the Written Word
  6. Only One Right Way
  7. Paternalism
  8. Either / Or Thinking
  9. Power Hoarding
  10. Fear of Conflict
  11. Individualism
  12. Progress is Bigger, More
  13. Objectivity
  14. Right to Comfort

*Original work here by Jones and Okun

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