Campaign for Gender Equity on Boards of Directors
What is the Campaign for Gender
Equity on Boards of Directors?
The Campaign for Gender
Equity on Boards of Directors is an initiative of InterAction's
Commission on the Advancement of Women.
In June 2000, "Beijing
+5," the UN Five Year Review of the Fourth World Conference on Women,
highlighted the critical importance of increasing women's representation
in governance, from national legislatures to boards of directors. Within
the InterAction community, this commitment is expressed in Article 6.4.1.2
of the PVO Standards, adopted as part of the "Gender Equity Amendments"
by the board in May 1996.
Agencies will strive to
increase the numbers of women...on Boards of Directors and advisory groups
where they are currently underrepresented.
To promote this aim and to
support InterAction member agency efforts, the Commission on the Advancement
of Women (CAW) has initiated this Campaign. The CAW invites members to
affirm their organizations' commitment to developing strategies for reaching
diverse pools of women, including women of color and with disabilities;
to recruiting and retaining women on their boards; and to setting institutionally
appropriate goals for moving forward. For members who choose to align
with the Campaign, the CAW offers a package of technical supports, including
materials, resource contacts, and workshops.
Why is gender imbalance
on boards an issue?
InterAction is a coalition
of 160 non-profit organizations working overseas in development and humanitarian
assistance. For many of these organizations, women and girls comprise
the majority of those they serve. In contrast, women are not in the majority
amongst the CEOs and boards of directors of the organizations. This contradiction
is an obstacle to effective programming in the field, as well as to the
goals of equity and justice espoused by the InterAction community.
How great is the gender
gap on InterAction member boards and what progress has been made over
the past ten years?
The CAW surveyed 155 InterAction
members on women's representation on their boards in 2002. Overall, women's
average representation on boards has leveled off at 33.5%, up only 2.5%
from 31% in 1991.
In 1987, InterAction's board
of directors first committed to supporting measures to promote the advancement
of women in the community. This commitment led to two initiatives: first,
a series of three retreats (1988, 1990, 1994) for CEOs and board members
to explore ways to increase the number of women in decision-making positions;
and second, three surveys on women in leadership positions (1987, 1989,
1991). Despite these efforts, change was minimal and in fact, the number
of women in senior staff positions actually declined from 42% in 1989
to 37% in 1991. The following data presents the current range of percentages
of women's representation.
A Breakdown
of Representation of Women on Boards of
InterAction Member Agencies:
| 0-9% |
8% (13 members) |
60-69% |
3% (4 members) |
| 10-19% |
12% (18 members) |
70-79% |
1% (1 member) |
| 20-29% |
26% (40 members) |
80-89% |
1% (2 members) |
| 30-39% |
22% (34 members) |
90-99% |
0% (0 members) |
| 40-49% |
14% (23 members) |
100% |
1% (2 members) |
| 50-59% |
12% (18 members) |
|
|
|
Data
Source: Board counts of 155 InterAction member agencies, January
2002.
|
Is this a problem beyond
the InterAction or non-profit community? Who is addressing it?
Catalyst, an organization in
NY, exists to promote women's representation on boards of Fortune 500
companies, where the gender gap - amongst CEOs as well as board members
- is more extreme than in the non-profit community (www.catalystwomen.org).
The International Labor Organization has just issued a new study on the
gender gap in leadership globally, titled "Breaking Through the Glass
Ceiling: Women in Management." Also, in the early 90's the US Dept.
of Labor undertook a "Glass Ceiling Initiative" to study and
to promote women and minorites in corporate and government leadership.
Finally, a recent study by Guidestar, a national database on nonprofit
organizations, shows that women CEOs overall earn about 30% less than
their male counterparts.
How will the CAW initiative
address the issue of the gender gap on boards?
As of January 2005, 72 member
agencies signed on to the campaign. These agencies will receive a package
of services and supports from the CAW over the next year, including resource
materials, workshops, exposure to new pools of candidates, and contacts
with corporate leaders who have made advances in their own organizations.
The CAW estimates that half of the InterAction membership ultimately will
participate in and benefit from the campaign. The goal is very clear,
to expand the number of women - who are committed to women's advancement
- on member agency boards.
List
of Campaign for Gender Equity on Boards Co-Sponsors
Campaign for Gender Equity
on Boards of Directors Resource Packet Available
The CAW has compiled a Resource
Packet as a part of the Campaign for Gender Equity of Boards of Directors.
This resource packet includes three books as well as materials on
the current status of women on boards in the private sector, non-profit,
and internationally; how to make the case for increasing women's representation;
tools for creating more diverse boards; strategic approaches for diversifying
boards; resources on governance; and much more. If your organization
would like to join this campaign or purchase a copy of this resource
packet ($50/packet, includes shipping), please contact Thu
Cao.
Related Articles
Campaign
for Gender Equity on Boards Links InterAction Members and Corporate Community
Drive
for Gender Balance in Government Sparks an InterAction Campaign
Thirteen
InterAction Members and the CAW Co-Sponsor Campaign on Gender Equity on
Boards of Directors
South
African Ambassador Launches CAW's Campaign for Gender Equity on Boards
of Directors
How
to Build a Board of Directors With Real Gender Equity (It Can Be Done)
Expert
Offers Practical Strategies for Getting Women Onto Boards of Directors
|
