May 18, 2006 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The YWCA USA last month approved a controversial proposal that would allow men to assume board positions, a decision that ends the group’s 148-year history of requiring that all of its trustees be women.
During the organization’s annual meeting in April, YWCA agreed to allow its affiliates to seek an exemption from the female-only policy by applying to the YWCA’s national governing board, in Washington. Each request to “adopt a gender-neutral membership and governance policies” will be reviewed individually using criteria that will be established later this year.
The wording allows the YWCA to “evolve” while maintaining the autonomy of its 291 local groups, said Peggy Sanchez Mills, chief executive of the national office. While YWCA’s historically have allowed men to serve as executive directors or on advisory committees, Y’s have been concerned that allowing male board members would dilute the charity’s mission to help women, said Ms. Sanchez Mills.
But during the last few years a growing number of YWCA’s have raised objections to the policy, including that United Ways and other donors might not support them if they did not adopt a nondiscrimination policy. A YWCA in Oregon, for example, lost a foundation grant because of the policy to exclude men, she said.
Three years ago the YWCA’s governing body began exploring whether the policy should be changed and said it would not kick out violators of the female-only policy until the issue could be resolved. (As a result, about 20 Y’s elected male board members.) These discussions softened resistance to revising the rule, said Ms. Sanchez Mills.
At the meeting last month, a clear majority — 72 percent — of voting members agreed to the change. But several YWCA’s continue to object to having men on their boards.
“We enjoy being an all-female organization because it empowers females,” said Kristina E. Jones, executive director of the YWCA of Abilene, in Texas, who said she voted against the proposal. In West Texas, she said, “we weren’t feeling the external pressure to change.”
