Work to achieve parity in the workplace is often assigned to women, but research shows that when men advocate for equity, everyone wins, says Andrea Dermody

Gender equality issues are nothing new in the boardroom. Grant Thornton’s 2022 report Women in Business: Opening the door to diverse talent revealed that just 33 percent of senior leaders globally are female.

Time and again, research shows that the more diverse a company, the better its performance. So perhaps it’s time to shift the focus and consider how men can play their part in the pursuit of parity.

Men as allies

Too many organisations still miss the mark on gender balance efforts by focusing gender initiatives solely on what women can do to level the playing field—or, at best, inviting men to attend diversity and inclusion events designed for women.

An alternative drive towards ‘allyship’ is, however, steadily gaining pace. For men, this is about acknowledging and using their privilege to help others. When they do, they can help to share knowledge, break down barriers, and promote equal access.

Why allyship matters

Notably, the more women occupying a seat in a company’s C-suite and corporate board, the better its sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and business performance. With this in mind, having men as allies should be a business imperative.

Empowering men is one pathway towards allyship. Male allies can help advocate for women’s voices to be heard, and that commitments to equity and inclusion are taken seriously. But believing in the cause is only part of the equation. Men must actively work to achieve it. 

Grant Thornton’s 2022 research suggests male allies can support progress towards gender parity among senior leadership in several impactful ways, from exerting influence to change behaviours in their circles to facing down sexist behaviour and supporting and encouraging female colleagues.

The result is reciprocal reward. The business performs better, and male allies experience personal growth, broaden their network, and, most importantly, experience the associated benefits of a unified, energised and collaborative team.

Allyship is a verb, not a noun

For men, the message is clear: you must take action.

W. Brad Johnson and David G. Smith, authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, offer five ‘rules to live by’ for men who aspire to better ally behaviour in the service of promoting tangible gender equity in the workplace:

• Allyship is a journey, not a destination. Nobody ever “arrives” as an ally.
• Allyship is with, not for. Make your ally actions collaborative. 
• Allyship perpetuates autonomy, not dependence. You must hold yourself accountable for the net outcome of your ally behaviour.
• Allyship is about decentring, not standing in the spotlight. Speak less, hand the mic to women with key expertise, and structure projects, so women gain credit. 
• Allyship is critical to improving the status quo. Examine longstanding practices that perpetuate systemic inequities.

Overcoming barriers 

Allyship is growing trend, as is training in this area, but there is a gender gap in the perception of what success here means.

Research shows that women and other underrepresented groups see less evidence of measurable workplace change than men. In short, men are essentially worse allies than they think.

In this no-holds-barred report released in 2018 by the Harvard Business Review, the authors also suggest there can be a cost to men who act as allies. The authors describe the ‘wimp penalty’ of allyship, where men who advocate for female colleagues are seen as less competent by both men and women. 

Finding the balance

Barriers aside, it’s clear from the evidence that progress towards gender balance in senior leadership is accelerated when men act as allies. The more positive interactions men have with women in professional settings, the less prejudice and exclusion they tend to demonstrate.

Here are some practical suggestions for closing the allyship gap:

• Make allyship an organisational value and priority: ensure senior leaders can talk clearly about the importance of allyship as it connects to core business outcomes, demonstrating how they value it personally and in their business.
• Listen and collaborate: demonstrate generous listening, show that you understand, and take meaningful action.
• Move from awareness to action: consider actions and techniques to overcome, challenge, disrupt, and prevent these behaviours and inequities.
• Create a community of allies who share and grow: allyship is not a ‘one-and-done’ process. Allow your communities to continue to learn and develop the skills they need to support the women in your organisation.

There is a role for allyship to play in gender parity efforts. Ensuring that men are given a dignified, respectful role in becoming allies will bring wide-ranging benefits associated with a truly inclusive team. And then everyone wins.

Andrea Dermody is a diversity and inclusion consultant, speaker and coach at Dermody