Nov 7
The gender wage gap has been an ongoing issue throughout the world for decades. The term refers to the average annual pay of women who work full-time jobs as compared to the similar salary of their male counterparts. Although the gap has shortened some since 1960, women still make less than men for doing the same type of work on a daily basis.
In a recent article from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), female workers who worked full-time year-round in 2018 made on average only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gap of 18 percent. IWPR further found that men’s earnings over 15 years were 49 percent more than what women made during the same time frame.
According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the gender pay gap occurs across almost all occupations, especially in male-dominated industries and positions, such as management occupations, finance, transportation, and the legal sector. Although there has been much exposure of gender bias of these industries, the one industry that hasn’t gotten nearly as much attention is the nonprofit sector.
The Wage Gap Problem in the Nonprofit Industry
Although female CEOs are on average paid less than men in the same position, no industry is this more glaringly obvious than the nonprofit industry. This reality is quite alarming, considering the nonprofit industry where the female workforce is in the majority. According to a recent GuideStar report, women occupy less than a third of executive positions in nonprofit organizations with budgets of $10 million or more.
GuideStar also found that fewer than 45 percent of CEO positions are occupied by women, with a pay gap of approximately 20 percent. When looking at the most prominent nonprofits in the U.S. in 2018, Forbes had found that only one had a female CEO – Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fonte. The nine other top nonprofits, which included the Boys and Girls Club of America and Habitat for Humanity, were run by men.
Female board membership in large nonprofits was in the minority, despite research finding board diversity improves performance, helping to bring in more donations.
Minorities in Nonprofits
Although women are being paid less across the board in nonprofits, women of color face even more opposition. According to a recent article from Medium, 89 percent of nonprofit CEOs and 80 percent of all board members are white.
According to the AAUW, the wage gap is much more significant for minority women:
- African American women receive 62 percent less than their male counterparts
- Native Hawaiian or other Pacific island women earn 61 percent less
- American Indian or Alaska Native women receive 57 percent less
- Hispanic women workers receive 54 percent less
Equal Pay for Equal Work
In the past few years, there have been efforts to end pay discrimination once and for all. Laws such as the Equal Pay Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, and the Fair Pay Act, have made it illegal in the United States to pay men and women working in the same place different salaries for similar work. However, the practice is still occurring throughout America. It’s time for the wage gap to close once and for all.
Attorney Kerrie Campbell has been fighting against the wage gap and employment discrimination throughout her career. As one of the first women lawyers to speak out on the inequality in the legal industry, she knows firsthand about the unfairness of the gender wage gap. After experiencing the same discrimination, she knows what you are going through and will speak on your behalf in the court of law.
The only way to prevent gender bias in the workplace is to act and speak out. If you work in the nonprofit sector and are experiencing discrimination, please contact KCampbell-Law, PLLC to learn your legal options.
Posted by KCampbell-Law, PLLC in Writings.
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