The 3 ways that men can participate in gender equity at work

As workplace culture continues to lag in gender equity, there are ways to get men involved in gender equity at work.

Colleen M. Tolan, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Rutgers Centre for Women in Business, and Lisa S. Kaplowitz, Executive Director at Rutgers Centre for Women in Business, wrote that for men to join in the effort toward gender equity, male organisational leaders need to address three matters: acknowledge fearing, addressing ignorance, and overcoming apathy.

Firstly, men at work need to acknowledge that masculine anxiety is hurting both men and women, creating additional barriers to career advancement, like less feedback, mentoring, and sponsorship. The researchers found that there is a need to create a culture of male engagement, and it requires male leaders to create space for discussions around gender equity — without taking space away from women. “It communicates to others that despite the fear you might be feeling, you want to learn,” they wrote in Harvard Business Review.

Next, there is a need to address ignorance at work, as men are unaware that their behaviour is, at times, the source of the problem. “Leaders can challenge this kind of harmful norm by making everyone, regardless of gender, responsible for the non-promotable tasks that need to get done,” wrote Tolan and Kaplowitz. Creating a culture that assumes good intent contributes to a shared common goal by encouraging questions and rewarding curiosity.

READ MORE: Leveraging gender diversity in the workplace for business success

Lastly, men in leadership positions, who happen to be mentors or sponsors, should proactively talk about their experiences with other men to normalise the behaviour of open discussion. “When met with apathy, it would be helpful for male leaders to reinforce the fact that gender inequities affect both men and women,” said both researchers. “Refocusing the discussion around what is lost when you don’t engage and inviting other men to participate can help reduce apathy and create group cohesion around a common goal.”