Gender inequity in nonprofit organizations is often overlooked.
Why?
One reason is that a lot of people assume that because the nonprofit sector is dominated by women that there should be fairness within the sector.
But we know that’s not the full picture.
According to the American Association of University Women, “Women make up 75% of nonprofit employees.” With this high percentage of women workers, one might think that there would be no gender disparity in the power structure within nonprofit organizations, but the report goes on to say that “Only 42% of nonprofit boards are led by women and only 22% of nonprofits are run by a woman Executive Director/CEO” (2018).
This data showcases that even though the nonprofit sectors are predominantly composed of women, it doesn’t mean that the power structure represents the majority.
Gender pay gaps, gender inequitable policies, and more are often overlooked in the nonprofit sector.
There are many systemic reasons that create the structure for these inequities. These disparities might even seem so normal to us that we never even consider examining them.
But donors, funding sources, volunteers, interns, and employees are calling out for a deeper dive into structural equity and fairness.
Amy Cross, founder of Gender Fair, has picked up this demand and create gender fair resources to help your nonprofit be more fair.
This can lead to being able to retain employees, get more donors, and so much more.