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| Path: Main Street : NewsWeek : Op/Ed : Audience Opinions |
It is a common observation that women outnumber men by a large margin in both staff positions and volunteer work for charities and nonprofit organizations.What factors have contributed to this imbalance? Is this an issue of concern? What, if anything, could/should be done to bring things into better balance?
re: the imbalance in the staff gender ratios:
It just so happens that we have some new data on this. Every 3 to 4 years, Volunteer Vancouver conducts a Salary and Benefits Survey for the administrative personnel of British Columbia's nonprofit sector. We just completed our 1998 survey, based upon the responses from 202, mainly mid-sized charitable, nonprofit, and community service agencies across the province, who have a total of 4,250 employees between them, and between $300 to $400 million in combined annual revenues. The gender ratios of these organizations are as follows.
Organization Type % Male % Female All 19.2 80.8 Health & rehabilitation 20.4 79.6 Individuals & families 17.7 82.3 Community & neighbourhood 22.1 77.9 Planning & information 14.7 85.3 FYI: The main results of the survey will soon be posted on our website (www.volunteervancouver.ca) and the reports are available for purchase for $29 + S&H.
Warren Dow, Research Associate, Volunteer Vancouver
Females are more numerous than Males in my not-for-profit organization. Females fill the majority of the senior positions. Consequently, they are paid more than males within this organization, as a whole. I have no problem with that. They do a good job. They provide a valuable service to the community. I see this as a non-issue.Tim Nourse
Why men don't volunteer: 1. "Women's work". 2. Men only volunteer coaching sports teams (mainly if their child is on the team) - women do the rest. 3. My friends would laugh at me. 4. No time. 5. "I don't know how you could do that, but I admire you"Should I go on in the same vein? - after 12 years I think I've heard most of them. (Don't get me wrong, I've seen many wonderful male volunteers, but they are most certainly few and far between in my field! {working with children and adults with mental and physical disabilities} - I could count the number of men who actually do their commitment with us in one year on one hand!)
Why men don't work in the field - see above, plus can't afford to support their family on the pay!!!
Laura.
This observation is directly linked into how much we value those who receive "charity" in our society. Doing charitable work has long been the domain of women - it is only natural that as funding has become available for nonprofits, that the wages have been low.Until a few years ago, the expectations of those working in nonprofits were much lower - you hired a "warm body" who had some of the skills desired and were willing to work for the wages. Unfortunately, we have also seen a lot of nonprofits suffer because the managers did not have the multitude of skills required to run the organization. As wages improve in nonprofits, we are seeing more men enter the field as a career. I think there has also been an expectation as well that people work in nonprofits for altruistic reasons and shouldn't expect decent wages and benefits.
The valuing (both through compensation and respect) of persons in the nonprofit sector will only come when the people who require the services are valued.
B. Simpson
It takes a very strong man to integrate into an all female office in the beginning. From what I have seen, It takes them several weeks to "show their strengths" and feel comfortable. Sadly there are a lot of women who when placed in a position of authority, will abuse it in the same way we have been complaining that men have done. I also think that there are so many changing "rules" in the workplace that men are not sure of "today's acceptable social policy" I think that in their own way men volunteer as much, if not more, than women... It's just in a male perspective: Rotary, Lions, Kinsmen, Legion, Police Auxiliary, Volunteer First Aid, Volunteer Firemen, Habitat workers, Clergy, coaches, mentors, helping a buddy or co-worker, Shovelling a neighbour's driveway, fixing the kid next door's bike etc. They are not rushing out to find strangers to help, as there is too many things the people in their everyday lives need from them. - On second thought... are you sure the question shouldn't be, "Why don't women volunteer as much as men? Ladies just might have a slight appreciation/awareness problem concerning this?Nola Marth
Sure women out number men employees in Non Profit organizations. There is only ONE reason, these jobs are grossly UNDERPAID!!!!!The problem does not lie so much in the lack of men but in the pay for the jobs. I work for a non profit, and we have just completed our pay equity. Some positions would require 6 plus more dollars to reach industry standards.
Sue Strandberg
I somewhat agree with Sue Strandberg's comments. Yes, women are underpaid in not-for-profits because they are women and their work is undervalued as in most sectors of our economy. It is also not so much a matter of gender imbalance, but partially because of the 'pink collar ghetto'. There are more women in the not-for-profit sector with titles such as assistants and coordinators than there are men in these same positions. Why? Perhaps because still, culturally, men tend to pursue the higher paying career specialties as compared to women.
However, women do aspire to management positions in the not-for-profit sector, and there are many, me being one of them. And if anything is to change, women must ask for as much money as they know their male counterparts are being paid or even more. Don't be afraid to start negotiating at the higher end.
When not-for-profit employers ask you to state your expected salary range on an application cover letter, for example in a role as a development director, and the standard industry salary rate is, let's say, $50-$60K -- I'm not even sure if that is the industry standard -- state that your expected salary is negotiable within the industry standard and commensurate with experience. Then if you do get to a point in a second interview when salary is discussed, ask for a range of $55-$65K. If they think you're worth it, they'll give it to you. Women rally forth! Show a little courage and get paid what you're worth.Denise G. Grelet
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