Gender equity is a human issue that impacts all of us, regardless of gender expression. In an organization, everybody benefits from an inclusive culture where we can bring our whole selves to work without any negative impacts on our sense of belonging. And studies show that businesses with higher levels of gender equity outperform their peers.
While International Women's Day is important to recognize the achievements of women, raise awareness about gender inequality and ultimately promote gender equity, these cannot be achieved in a single day. It requires continuous effort throughout the year and men have a crucial role to play as allies in working towards these goals. In this blog, male leaders provide insights as to how they live and role model being an ally and supporter of those who identify as women every day.
There is no such thing as a passive ally. Allyship is always active, vocal, intentional, mindful and consistent. Show that you can be trusted and are invested in gender equity:
To be effective allies, men must acknowledge and model the following principles.
An inclusive culture is necessary to accelerate gender equity. By promoting inclusivity, leaders are setting clear expectations for equality and holding everyone accountable in reducing biases and discrimination. For this, they must examine some key areas, including:
01
Adjust your listening tools and strategies to better amplify the voices of women and other underrepresented people. For example, a virtual focus group can be a good alternative to in-person focus groups in accommodating different work styles. Also check for any biases in your measurement strategy. When evaluating performance, ranking your employees could be detrimental for women and you need to shift your metrics to focus more on individual growth over social comparisons.
02
Review your DEI strategy and employee value proposition and use a data-driven approach to increase representation at all aspects of work, such as hiring statistics, promotion and pay. For example, reducing gender bias in recruitment may involve selecting a diverse panel of interviewers, using gender-neutral language in your job descriptions and anonymizing job applications. Also make sure that everyone is represented in making decisions, especially those that have significant visibility (e.g., representation in client teams, panel discussions and leadership team constructs).
03
Your Total Rewards program should reflect your commitment to gender equity. Aside from ensuring equal pay, closing the gender pay gap means also offering benefits that support and empower women. Do you offer benefits that specifically support women’s health and wellness, and can employees customize their benefits according to their unique needs? Consider offering more flexible and diverse work styles to promote work-life balance for diverse lifestyles. And provide career opportunities by creating stronger mentorship or sponsorship programs and championing high-potential female employees and leaders in your organization.
Gender equity is an issue that affects us all, regardless of gender identity or expression, and men have a crucial role in addressing this issue. By being active allies and taking responsibility for their education and commitment, men can help women unlock more opportunities and maximize their potential. At the same time, leaders have the responsibility to remove biases from every level and area of the organization to accelerate gender equity and foster an inclusive culture. When everybody can bring their whole selves and feel a sense of belonging at work, everyone wins and can support each other on the path to success.
