Gender Equity At Work: Engaging Men in Catalyzing Change

Executive Summary

The International Day of Women is a time to reflect on the progress made in women's rights while acknowledging persistent challenges. It is also an invitation for men to move beyond being "allies" and become active partners in dismantling patriarchal systems. This shift is crucial for creating truly inclusive and equitable cultures.

This article outlines significant progress and persistent challenges, particularly for intersectional identities and marginalized genders. Men need to be challenged more to confront norms of masculinity and their own socialization to support gender-inclusive cultures effectively and close persistent gaps in the long run. This can be supported with practical steps that organizations can take to promote gender equality beyond existing frameworks. However, there is a need and opportunity for innovation and truly inclusive approaches.

Introduction

Since 1975, we have celebrated the International Day of Women on March 8 to honor the advancement of women's rights and representation. On this day, we celebrate progress, register setbacks, and recognize significant intractable challenges and persistent gaps in the journey toward equality. Most glaringly is the need to engage men in the transformational efforts that women have been aware of and pursuing. If we are to create true gender-inclusive and equitable cultures, it is high time for men to reciprocate - not as allies - but as partners in dismantling patriarchal systems that have burdened all genders, including men themselves.

The Big Picture

Before we venture deeper into the challenges and gaps for organizations and institutions, we must acknowledge the progress made in advancing women's rights. Progress is significant in the following areas:

• Access to education. More girls are attending school and completing higher levels of education than ever before, leading to improved literacy rates and greater opportunities for women in various fields. The World Bank's data indicates that female literacy rates have steadily increased worldwide. For instance, the female literacy rate in sub-Saharan Africa increased from 48.4% in 1990 to 64.1% in 2018. The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report highlights progress in closing the gender gap in various sectors, including education, health, politics, and the economy. While gaps persist, there has been a notable improvement in women's representation and participation in these fields.
• Economic and social empowerment. Economic and social empowerment have been positively correlated to women's education, including increased decision-making power, economic opportunities, and overall well-being. With the increase in women's participation in the workforce, more women have entered traditionally male-dominated industries and positions. Notably, there has been progress in closing the gender pay gap in some countries and regions. Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, known for their strong commitment to gender equality, have significantly reduced the gender pay gap. According to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, the gender pay gap in the EU has been gradually decreasing over the years. In 2019, the gender pay gap in the EU was 14.1%, down from 16.8% in 2009. In the United States, the gender pay gap persists, but according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there have been improvements in narrowing the gap over time. According to the BLS, in 2020, women's earnings were approximately 83% of men's earnings, compared to about 62% in 1979. And, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), the gender pay gap in Australia has been gradually decreasing. In 2020-2021, the full-time gender pay gap was 13.4%, down from 17.7% in 2015-2016.
• Legal reforms. Many countries have implemented laws to protect women's rights, such as laws against gender-based violence, sexual harassment, and discrimination in the workplace. For instance, India has enacted several laws to protect women's rights, such as the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, which aims to protect women from domestic violence and provide them with access to legal recourse and support services. Additionally, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013, mandates employers to provide a safe working environment free from sexual harassment. South Africa has the Domestic Violence Act, which provides legal protection and support for victims of domestic violence, including women. The Employment Equity Act prohibits unfair discrimination in the workplace, including discrimination based on gender, and promotes equal opportunities for women in employment. Notably, Rwanda has also made significant strides in promoting gender equality and protecting women's rights through various legal frameworks. The Law on the Prevention and Punishment of Gender-Based Violence passed in 2018, criminalizes gender-based violence and provides support services for survivors. Additionally, Rwanda's Constitution mandates gender equality and promotes women's participation in decision-making processes.

• Reproductive rights. Advances have been made in access to contraception, family planning services, and reproductive healthcare, allowing women greater control over their bodies and reproductive choices.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of modern contraceptive methods among married or in-union women aged 15–49 has been steadily increasing worldwide. As of 2020, around 64% of married or in-union women globally were using some form of contraception, up from 54% in 1990. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has been working to expand access to family planning services globally. In 2020, UNFPA-supported services helped avert an estimated 1.4 million unintended pregnancies and 1.1 million unsafe abortions. Research by the Guttmacher Institute, a leading research and policy organization focused on sexual and reproductive health, publishes data on reproductive healthcare access globally. Their research indicates that many countries have made progress in expanding access to reproductive healthcare services, including contraception, maternal healthcare, and safe abortion services.

Not surprisingly, the areas of progress are also the areas that require continued attention. They are compounded for people with racialized*, ethnic, cultural, religious, or LGBTQ identities. They often face intersecting forms of hate, violence, discrimination, barriers, and limitations based on both their gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and sexuality. Women from ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to experience economic inequality due to factors such as racial discrimination in hiring and promotion, limited access to education and training opportunities, and concentration in low-wage and precarious employment sectors. They are also more likely to rate their employee experience lower than other workforce segments. 

Any progress, positive developments, or social gains require fortification and vigilant protection, as they can backslide along with other cultural and political changes. The setbacks in reproductive rights in the United States recently are an important warning. There, restrictions on abortion access, cuts to family planning funding, and efforts to undermine contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act have a detrimental impact on women. But, regressive developments can also be seen in other countries. 

With the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, there are growing concerns about the erosion of women's rights. The Taliban's previous rule from 1996 to 2001 was marked by severe restrictions on women's freedoms, including banning them from education and employment. Women in Afghanistan are actively resisting these restrictive policies, with many participating in protests and advocacy efforts both within the country and internationally.

In Iran, women face discriminatory laws and practices, including mandatory wearing of hijab (headscarf) in public and limitations on their participation in certain sports and social activities. Iranian women have been at the forefront of protests against these restrictive policies, with movements like the White Wednesdays campaign, where women remove their headscarves in public to protest compulsory hijab laws.

Despite being a secular state, Turkey has been experiencing an increase in conservatism, which poses challenges to women's rights. There have been attempts to roll back protections against gender-based violence, and women's rights activists have been campaigning against these changes. Turkish women have also advocated for greater representation in politics and the workforce.

These examples also illustrate the importance of women's rights activism and its crucial role in pushing for gender equality and combating discrimination and oppression, as well as regression in the very same aspects that progress has been made. Activism needs to focus on gender-based violence, close health disparities, and expand legal protection and political representation. A critical lever overall is the focus on economic and career equity, which is why we focus on the specific gender-based challenges in organizations and institutions next.

Persistent Challenges For Organizations & Institutions

For organizations and institutions, particularly those with global reach, career equity represents a persistent challenge and one that requires addressing systemic, structural, and cultural root causes. Many have taken essential steps to address them as part of a general focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness (DEI). These include:

• Identifying and closing organization-specific pay gaps.
• Recalibrating policies and benefits (such as paid maternity and paternity leave), sometimes beyond specific legal mandates.
• Reducing biases in recruiting, selection, and evaluation (increasingly with the help of AI-based solutions).
• Women-specific Employee/Business Resource Groups (ERGs/BRGs).
• Leveraging internal and external women’s leadership development programs.
• Providing flexible and family-friendly work arrangements.
• Mentoring programs for women, sometimes with a particular emphasis on women from ethnic or racialized backgrounds.
• Enlisting men as allies through development programs and initiatives focused on men.
• Cultivating an internal group of DEI champions.

Despite these efforts, progress has been sluggish. Globally, the overall number of women in senior leadership positions (Director, Vice-President or C-suite role) is 32.2%, according to the 2023 World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report. That is still ten percentage points lower than women's overall workforce representation of 41.9% and 18.8% lower than the average representation of women in a given population (51%).

These organizations have learned, at least in some parts, how deep-rooted gender stereotypes, biases, expectations, and behavioral dynamics continue to limit women - and how they fundamentally impact their professional roles and opportunities, as well as access to resources, advancement, and empowerment. Unfortunately, many of these organization's efforts are also limited in their effectiveness. 

It is very tempting to lament this state of affairs and commit to doing more of the above in response. However, we suspect this may not be effective enough to tackle this rather persistent and intractable challenge. Both persistence and intractability often indicate that a problem needs to be more understood. That does not mean our understanding is wrong or our solutions are futile. It only means that we may have omitted, underestimated, or minimized certain aspects of the problem and its underlying causal dynamics. We may need to heed Albert Einstein's observation that  "no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."  What could that be, and what might that look like? 

In most organizations, an omission is glaring: Men have not been brought along sufficiently and/or effectively in shifting the deep-rooted gender stereotypes, biases, expectations, and behavioral dynamics. 

We still observe that most men feel excluded and largely exempt by the conversation about gender. They perceive "gender" to be synonymous with “women” and forget that they, too, are a gender and that theirs is also a gendered experience. At worst, they may feel defensive and implicitly and unfairly blamed and attacked. Most often, they minimize or dismiss the seriousness of gender-based inequities. 

More progressive organizations appeal to and develop men as “allies” for women to address this omission. Male allyship frequently entails listening to women's voices and experiences, seeking to understand their perspectives on gender issues, and educating themselves about the realities of sexism, misogyny, and discrimination. Allies also use their privilege and platforms to amplify the voices of women and marginalized genders. They actively support and promote women's leadership and advancement and advocate for policies and practices that promote gender equity in their workplaces. In addition, they create communities and maintain safe and inclusive spaces where women and marginalized genders feel supported, respected, and valued. They actively work to challenge and disrupt environments of sexism and harassment, and, they engage in personal growth to recognize and challenge their own biases, privileges, and complicity in perpetuating gender inequalities. No doubt, male allyship is important, but may still prove insufficient.

So, why is allyship not enough?

Allyship is primarily an individual choice and fails to solve a collective, cultural, and systemic phenomenon of "patriarchy." And, just like many of us are aware of living and acting within a "democracy” with values, beliefs, and narratives shaped by it, all of us, particularly men, ought to be aware of "patriarchy" and its imprint on our beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. 

Also, it does not ask too much of men. Men are afforded the role of benefactor. They can feel heroic or chivalrous in their “ally" role, which plays into historic stereotypes in the patriarchal tradition and ultimately reinforces a paternalistic relational construct.

We contend that we need to engage in a shared, inclusive, and mutually beneficial process of shifting the relational paradigm of patriarchy. It is only through the recognition of our internalized experiences of gender that we can begin to understand the impact, especially when gender is closely tied to psycho-emotional scars, tolls, and traumas. 

For most men, this entails piercing through denial and repression, revealing costs and benefits for their structural superiority. For women, it reveals the scars, trauma, and costs of their structural inferiority and inequity, of which most are already too aware. Men have had the unfortunate luxury to deny and repress, and then pass along this denial and repression for generations. Closing this awareness gap is critical. We contend that only when men connect themselves honestly and authentically to their own gendered experience can they also support gender-inclusive systems and cultures. This means that men face their socialization into male-gendered roles and identities. Let's take a deeper look. 

A Deeper Look

Patriarchy derives from the Greek "patriarkhēs" which means "the rule of the father." It is used to refer to a social system where men control a disproportionately large share of social, economic, political, and/or religious power. The following are the defining features of a patriarchal system:

• Male dominance. For instance, the primary power and authority given to men across most domains of social and economic life.
• Gender-based social hierarchies. i.e., the establishment of hierarchical structures that privilege masculinity and masculine traits/characteristics and subordinate femininity and gender minorities.
• Institutional discrimination. Laws, policies, and “normal" practices reinforce the subordination of women and gender minorities.
• Gender roles, norms, and attitudes. i.e., traditional and rigid gender roles and gender-based behavioral norms. In patriarchal societies, men are often expected to be the primary wage earners, decision-makers, and leaders, while women are expected to prioritize caregiving, homemaking, and nurturing roles. Misogyny and son-preference are also common markers of patriarchal systems. Son preference is a cultural, societal, or familial preference for male offspring over female offspring. This preference can manifest in various ways, including differential treatment of male and female children, investment in sons' education and prospects, and even sex-selective practices such as female infanticide or sex-selective abortion. Son preference is deeply rooted in patriarchal societies where male heirs are valued for carrying on the family name, inheriting property, and providing support in old age. Commonly associated with certain parts of Asia, such as China and India, son-preference is also pervasive in other parts of the world and has been spreading.
• Control and coercion of resources. Men typically control vital resources, such as land, property, and other sources of wealth, social status, and social mobility. What we have described as the "shadow” or Enlightenment, namely the “forging, perpetuating, and expanding of brutally extractive relationship to the natural and human worlds,” is the amplification of a patriarchal relationship with natural and human worlds by the powers of technology, industrialization, and conquest (means of control and coercion).
• Violence. Tolerance for and condoning of violence towards women and marginalized genders.
• Self-perpetuation. Like most systems, a patriarchal social system is self-perpetuating because it socializes and conditions individuals into accepting and reproducing the above elements, including conscious and unconscious biases, stereotypes, beliefs, and behavioral patterns.

Societies exhibit these features to different degrees and in various cultural forms and formations, which are then reflected and replicated in their organizations and institutions. However rigid these roles and power inequities are, they harm both men and women. 

Psychotherapist and author, Terrence Real, suggests that dismantling patriarchy is not only beneficial for women but also for men's well-being and overall societal health. He argues that traditional gender roles enforced by patriarchy harm both men and women by promoting unhealthy patterns of behavior and limiting emotional expression. Real emphasizes the importance of men challenging patriarchal norms and embracing vulnerability and emotional authenticity as essential steps toward personal growth, healthier relationships, as well as healthier organizations and societies. 

Male socialization into masculine gender roles and identities in patriarchal systems involves several unique qualities shaped by societal expectations. Importantly, as Terrence Real, points out, these expectations are defined in opposition to presumed “feminine" qualities.   

• Emphasis on toughness and stoicism: Boys are often taught to suppress emotions and vulnerability, and to prioritize traits such as strength, aggression, and self-reliance as markers of masculinity.
• Pressure to conform to narrowly defined roles: Boys are socialized to fulfill traditional gender roles, which may include being the primary breadwinner, displaying dominance, and taking on leadership roles within their families and communities.
• Normalization of violence and aggression: Society often glorifies aggression and violence as masculine traits, leading to the normalization of behaviors such as physical fighting, competitiveness, and assertiveness as inherent to being a man.
• Limited emotional expression and expressiveness: Boys are discouraged from expressing a wide range of emotions, except for anger, which is often seen as acceptable and even encouraged. This can lead to difficulties in expressing and processing emotions in healthy ways.
• Homophobia and policing of masculinity: Boys are often subjected to rigid gender policing, which reinforces heteronormative ideals of masculinity and stigmatizes behaviors or interests perceived as feminine or homosexual, leading to the marginalization of LGBTQ+ individuals.
• Sexual prowess and dominance: Masculinity is often associated with sexual prowess, leading to pressure on boys and men to assert their masculinity through sexual activity and dominance over sexual partners.
• Limited support for seeking help or being vulnerable: Men may face stigma and shame for seeking help, admitting vulnerability, or expressing mental health concerns, contributing to higher rates of untreated mental health issues and lower rates of help-seeking behavior compared to women.

These aspects of male socialization into masculine gender roles and identities perpetuate patriarchy and gender inequalities, as much - if not more so - than the aspects of female socialization. Recognizing and transforming them is crucial for promoting healthier, more inclusive notions of masculinity and creating a society that truly values and lives gender equality,  inclusiveness, and diversity. This is why attempts to enlist men as “allies” may not be enough!

Only when men connect themselves honestly and authentically to their own gendered experience can they truly support gender-inclusive systems and cultures. This means that men face their socialization into male-gendered roles and identities, surface deep-seated, frequently repressed trauma, pain, and violence, to become more whole and healthier human beings. 

For men, celebrating and supporting the advancement of women's rights should also be a welcome invitation to face an inconvenient polarity, namely their relative social privilege* and power on one side, and the psychological-emotional cost incurred by it - involuntarily and unconsciously. The former affords men denial of their gender as a relevant factor to their social experience; the latter would connect men and women in a powerful alliance and join through the basic pain and injustice of gender roles and socialization– a sort of mutual allyship through which true gender-inclusiveness is possible.

It would be highly negligent not to mention the significant contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to enable and support this alliance. By expanding our understanding of sexuality away from binary conceptions and insisting on the recognition of a broad spectrum of sexuality and gender expression, the LGBTQ+ movement can inspire the reconstruction of gender identity and the psychological, emotional, behavioral, and normative structures that support it. 

Some men's groups and a few other initiatives are paving the way, but they have yet to arrive in organizations and institutions. It is our hunch that until they do and men engage at a deeper level with the multigenerational trauma their masculinity entails, true gender-inclusiveness will remain elusive. Based on this reflection, introspection, and engagement, men and women who represent the full range of sexuality will be able to come together in this mutual alliance and reconstruct the systems, structures, and cultures to be truly gender inclusive. The practical ways to achieve this may still need to be created. Asking men to be allies for women is only a first step. The remaining steps will still need to be invented. And herein lies our collective challenge and the opportunity to innovate.

In Conclusion

Initiatives aimed at developing men as allies must evolve into deeper engagements that challenge patriarchal norms and promote vulnerability, emotional authenticity, and inclusivity. This transformation is essential for fostering healthier relationships, organizations, and societies. In these efforts, the LGBTQ+ community's contributions in expanding our understanding of gender and sexuality play a crucial role in inspiring the reconstruction of gender identity and normative structures.

We must innovate and invent practical steps toward achieving gender equality that go beyond existing frameworks. This might include any of the following:

1. Upgrading existing leadership development programs to add meta-reflexive elements that challenge the underlying narrative and mental models that underpin the notion of leadership from a gender perspective.
2. Making patriarchal relational patterns and structures part of how organizational culture is described and assessed.
3. Adding a deliberate focus on the ‘male experience’ as part of DEI efforts, discussions, forums, etc. This also includes any conversation about gender identity as inclusive of the male experience and its multi-generational legacies.
4. Deliberately augmenting DEI-sponsored employee storytelling campaigns to include men discussing their relationship with masculinity in the context of a particular organization and/or industry.
5. Experimenting with constructive ways to initiate and support men-focused ERGs. These may need to be carefully chartered and facilitated to support the above.
6. In all of the above, it is crucial to recognize intersectional challenges, particularly the impact of racialized, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds.

These are just a few ways the insights above can be implemented. Importantly, they are NOT meant to compete with or detract from the vital goal of advancing women's rights and representation. Rather, they are the necessary reciprocal response to the critical systems critique, change advocacy, and individual transformation and development that women and the LGBTQ+ community have pursued for decades.