May 17, 2001 | Read Time: 2 minutes
By NICOLE LEWIS
Male C.E.O.’s of human-service charities in Chicago are more likely to run large organizations than are female chief executives, a new study has found. As a result, they are also more likely to earn more than $100,000 a year, the study found.
While women work as top executives at nearly half the human-service groups in the city, of the 14 charities with budgets of more than $20-million, only four are run by women, the study found.
The study was commissioned by the Jane Addams Legacy Project, a group of woman executives who work for foundations and other nonprofit organizations in Chicago. It was based on data provided by 238 human-service charities, including homeless shelters, mental-health programs, and child-welfare services, with annual budgets of more than $500,000.
Researchers also analyzed data provided by the United Way/Crusade of Mercy, in Chicago, which included information on 139 United Way human-service charities from fiscal year 2000.
Women were more likely than men to run charities with budgets of less than $5-million, and men more likely to run those with budgets of more than $5-million, the study found.
Members of ethnic or racial minority groups were most likely to run charities with budgets between $5-million and $20-million, according to the United Way data. People with disabilities led fewer than 5 percent of human-service charities, according to the United Way data.
The United Way data show that 64 percent of board chairs are men, even though, on average, women made up nearly half of board memberships.
According to the data, Caucasians represent 54 percent of board memberships, followed by African Americans (27 percent), Hispanics (12 percent), Asians (7 percent), and Native Americans (1 percent).
The study was supported by the Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Foundation for Women, Dobkin Family Foundation, Motorola Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sara Lee Foundation, and United Way/Crusade of Mercy.
For a free copy of the study, “Leadership of Chicago Human Service Agencies,” contact Communications Department, Chicago Foundation for Women, 230 West Superior, Fourth Floor, Chicago, Ill. 60610-3536; (312) 266-1176, ext. 32; fax (312) 266-0990. The study is available online at http://www.donorsforum.org.
