Most of my memories of charity auctions I attended with my parents while growing up blur together, but what I do remember was loud, fast-talking auctioneers, “going once, going twice, SOLD,” and that the men always did the bidding. As times have changed and women gained more buying power, the last bastion of gender bias in philanthropy is waning – at least in major cities on the coasts. Recently, I noticed that the majority of bidders at live charity auctions I’ve attended this past year have been women.

There’s a scene early in the first Sex and the City movie where Samantha, the boldest of the foursome, attends a jewelry auction and masterfully bids against a man on the phone (who turns out later to be her boyfriend). One of the auctions I attended recently, the husband and wife bid against each other. And at a charity fashion show recently, I was amazed at the chutzpah displayed by the women bidders. These were not the auctions of my childhood.

I remember the adrenaline rush I felt the first time I bid at a live auction, having received any particular instruction on the subject. I dove in, knowing the market value of a vacation package, knowing how high I was willing to go, and I stepped out when the bidding went beyond that point. It was exhilarating – and a bit scary.

I see a lot of hope in how live auction bidding has shifted. If we’re willing to essentially haggle up a price in front of hundreds of people, business negotiations should seem a lot simpler – and I’d like to think it might help some women gain confidence for salary negotiations. And while it takes years for significant culture shifts like these, it’s important to notice when they do. Keep bidding, ladies.

If anything, what keeps you from raising your paddle?

About the author: Sarah Granger

Sarah Granger is an active philanthropist who has been involved with a wide range of causes for over twenty years. She has served on three nonprofit boards and considers voluntarism a big part of her life. She is the cofounder of SFBayStyle, and her other writing credits include the Real Simple Blog, MSNBC, The Huffington Post, Ecofabulous, and BlogHer.

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