Scarce as hen's teeth: Women CEOs in large nonprofit organizations

This study examines an underlying mechanism behind the gender gap in nonprofit executive leadership, focusing on the link between the representation of women on governing boards and the hiring of female CEOs. The analysis of 340 human services organizations with gross receipts greater than $10 milli...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNonprofit management & leadership Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 601 - 610
Main Author Lee, Young‐Joo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hoboken, USA Wiley Periodicals, Inc 01.06.2019
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects
CEO
Chief executive officers
Chief executives
Females
governance
Governing boards
Hiring
Human services
Leadership
nonprofit
Nonprofit organizations
Teeth
Women
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Summary:This study examines an underlying mechanism behind the gender gap in nonprofit executive leadership, focusing on the link between the representation of women on governing boards and the hiring of female CEOs. The analysis of 340 human services organizations with gross receipts greater than $10 million in GuideStar's database reveals that organizations where women make up between one third and half of the board are more likely to have a female CEO compared to organizations where women account for less than one third or a majority of the board. The findings suggest that nonprofit organizations are more likely to hire a female CEO when women constitute a “substantial minority” of the governing board.
ISSN:1048-6682
1542-7854
DOI:10.1002/nml.21354