Gendered Leadership in Accord Organizations

Abstract

Attention to gendered issues among Christian development organizations is often more likely to address external programming than internal organizational dynamics. In this paper, I examine how Christian development organizations are gendered in their leadership structure. I specifically examine the demographics of leadership in Accord member organizations at three periods in time: 2015, 2018, and 2021. Relying in part on data from tax records, I evaluate board and executive team compositions, the presence of female CEOs, and the wage differential among senior leaders. I find that women are significantly underrepresented in leadership, especially at top levels. Women earn less than men in similar positions. A number of organizations stand out for lacking any female representation on their executive teams and/or boards. The paper ends with some questions for the sector to ask and address moving forward.