We have heard it countless times … “that’s a women’s issue”. It’s become common for both men, and sometimes even women, to expect women to educate everyone on gaps in gender equality and come up with, and often be responsible for, the actions that will help us create a more just and equitable society. The reality is quite different. If history has proven anything to us in this space it is how critical it is for men to stand up, have a voice, and take responsibility for their part in creating that gender-equal world that we know will benefit all humankind.

As two men who take this responsibility seriously, we sat down to talk about the criticality of male ally-ship in the fight for gender equality, as well as discuss practical examples of how men can, not just participate, but take leadership roles in advocating change. As men, we have reaped the benefits of a culture that historically has reinforced more opportunity and progression for men over women. It’s our duty to help challenge stereotypes and champion increased visibility and opportunities for talented women.

Brandon: Let’s start with one of the basic questions – why is it important for men to be part of driving change toward gender equality in the workplace?

Andrew: In an issue of Society of Women Engineers Magazine, Roberta Rincon, Ph.D. was quoted saying, “where men are the majority, their behaviors and actions are necessary to address inequities in their immediate spheres”. Put simply – it’s our responsibility to demonstrate inclusivity and equality in all that we do. When men speak up, it helps frame the issue of gender equality as an organizational mandate rather than simply a women’s issue. Additionally, we’ve seen it happen, women sometimes end up paying a professional price for speaking out themselves, which often results in their apprehension to speak up when they experience or witness inequality. How many times have outspoken women, brave enough to call out inequality, been regarded as ambitious or self-serving; even when men may have been unfairly praised for being vocal? It’s a double standard that we must help eliminate.

Brandon: I think one of the things men wonder about is where to start. If you want to show that you support gender equality and want to challenge stereotypes where should you start?

Andrew: For me, the starting point was educating myself so that I can grow my own knowledge. Growth doesn’t mean you’re wrong or bad, it means you’re willing to improve. I’ve found no shortage of relevant topics, information, online articles, books, and learning opportunities at my fingertips. I would encourage other men to learn about organizations like Catalyst and Lean In which advocate for gender equality and the advancement of women through research, education, and ally-ship. They both put out a tremendous amount of thought leadership and offer events and videos that are both informative and inspiring. Within our own organization, we provide an extensive set of online events, on-demand education in our Learning Management System, video materials, and Employee Resource Networks to help us educate ourselves on critical areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

As a leader, I know that demonstrating and modeling inclusive behaviors for my team is critical. Inclusive leaders are those who invite different perspectives; so if I had to give step #2, I would say don’t wait for someone to speak up on your team – invite the perspectives of others by making space for everyone to contribute ideas. Think about ways that you can help increase gender equality on your own team. Are women on your team getting the same opportunity to participate in creative projects that drive business success, or have you unintentionally allowed bias to give more opportunities to men?

Brandon: Have you witnessed any personal impacts of COVID-19 on the careers of women who you work with?

Andrew: I have been in this industry and science-based fields for a long time and I can tell you that what we have seen result of the COVID-19 pandemic is discouraging. Implicit bias and performance bias puts women in technical fields at a disadvantage already, and a study by Pew Research shows that women in STEM roles experience higher levels of discrimination than in non-STEM roles. Also, only 20% of American engineers are women according to Roger Green, Ph.D. [American Society for Engineers]. Many technical roles struggle as it is to attract, develop, and advance women – the impacts of COVID-19 aren’t helping women who may be feeling the negative professional impacts so much more than men and may be feeling pressured to choose to derail their careers to provide the critical support to their families. A recent study by McKinsey titled “Women in the Workplace 2020” suggests that possibly two million women are considering leaving the workplace as a result of the pandemic which could mean even fewer women in STEM roles and fewer women in leadership positions.  Our industry needs to work to do better at providing the kinds of flexibility and understanding during times like this to provide talented women equitable opportunities and balance so that they can succeed.

Brandon: There is often pushback from men when they feel women are getting more recognition for achievements; which can feel, at times unequal. How would you respond to that sentiment?

Andrew: You know if you look back through history, and even in our current environment, women still get disproportionately less recognition than men for similar achievements. Think about the COVID-19 vaccine; how many of us may have assumed the initial vaccine was developed by a man? In fact, the science for the vaccine was based on Hungarian scientist Katalin Kariko and her relentless work on the mRNA. It’s important to increase the equity women are receiving in recognition for their achievements, and that may mean going big and bold to give women the recognition they deserve. Consider the analogy of starting a race. In a traditional race, you would have all the runners on the same starting line. But when it comes to equality, women and other underrepresented groups and minorities, have long since had their starting line set further back than men. We can all do more to bring that starting line up to an equal position by providing more equity for those who have yet to get a fair balance of recognition.

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