Charities Should Lead the Way in Equal Compensation

To the Editor:

I always find The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s coverage of salary gaps for female executives of charities interesting in light of the fact that many charities have missions related to the full inclusion of all people into society and into decision-making positions, and these same charities support efforts of nondiscrimination (“Salary Gap Is Shrinking for Female Charity CEO’s, Survey Finds,” October 30).

When it comes to compensating women for the work they do, it seems that women will only make as much as their male counterparts when as many women as men are in top decision-making positions. Until then, the old myths that women don’t need to earn as much because they aren’t the “primary” breadwinners will remain an obstacle for female salaries, because men are more often the ones determining pay scales for employees, including the women who work for them.

The article also confirms that women head up smaller charities more frequently than men, and that more frequently, men head up larger charities. This too is probably related to another outdated perception that women don’t understand finances as well as men, and while women have made gains onto the boards of many nonprofit organizations, they are still underrepresented.

It saddens me that women are contributing so much to the economy and work force of this country, and yet continue to be paid less than their male counterparts — even when the evidence consistently, year after year, shows the disparity.

Although I do not have daughters, I hope that future generations of working women will not be subject to the financial-compensation disparities that exist today. If the nonprofit world can’t lead the way into equal compensation for equal work, who can?

Nancy Macfarlane
Director of Community Investments
United Way of Greater Battle Creek
Battle Creek, Mich.