A staggering 75 percent of workers in the nonprofit sector are women, according to the most recent data available from the American Association of University Women. The high percentage of women working in nonprofits should translate to higher numbers of female-led organizations in the sector. But only 42 percent of nonprofit boards are led by women, while only 22 percent of nonprofits are run by a woman executive director or CEO. The percentage of female-led nonprofit boards drops to 33 percent when it comes to organizations with incomes of $25 million or more, according to Nonprofit Quarterly.

The irony is that nonprofits work to make the world more equitable, but even within the sector, hiring practices skew towards male leadership despite a wealth of women workers in the field. This also seems to have a knock-on effect on the gender pay gap.  On average, women earn around 25 percent less than men in the nonprofit sector, according to research by the National Council of Nonprofits. So why is progress slow?

With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit executive searches and transitions, Sara Garlick Lundberg said it all comes down to not working hard enough to get rid of implicit bias, which nonprofits should be aware of and work on internally. Sexist and misogynistic biases should be purged from any hiring process within organizations seeking to increase female leadership in their ranks.

Read more at: https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2024/Nonprofits-leadership-gender-gap/807641