Men have been neglected in our equity, diversity, and inclusion work.
This assertion can lead to responses such as ‘Yea, poor men, they’re doing just fine”. And indeed it is hard for those working furiously (mostly women) to tackle gender inequality and, who are tuned into men’s privilege in the workplace, to want to focus on men. But the longer I work in the gender space, the more convinced I am that we need to put much more effort, and resources, into working with men. That is, if we really want to create change.
Until we do so we are firmly mired in the gender inequality is about women = women’s problem = women’s work to fix
This is not so very far removed from women are the problem, women need fixing and women need to fit in. Which is a long way away from structural and cultural solutions to gender inequality, where we understand that organisations themselves, and the cultures and practices, and everybody within organisations create gender inequality.
I prefer gender inequality is about all genders = everyone’s problem = everyone’s work
And while many people might agree with me, theoretically, it may not be reflected in their action plans, programs and interventions. I’d love to hear more about what is happening in this space.
I’m planning a series of blogs on men. You can sign up here to receive newsletters, so you won’t miss any. And go to my page A Focus on Men for more details
And now for some quick insights into why I think we need to focus on men.
Men have gender too. Don’t make them the invisible norm.
When we disappear men’s gender, we reinforce masculinity as the norm, and fail to notice and address ways in which workplaces don’t work for many men. Discovering common ground can lead to motivating men to work for more broadly shared, humane ways of working that benefit everyone.
Men partnering with women to create change for all
Men have been asked to be champions, allies, mentors, and sponsors of women, to make workplace better places for women. But this has ignored ways in which current workplaces, created historically by men for men, no longer work for them either.
In my experience the most optimistic and cutting edge approach to building more gender equitable workplaces is when men and women partner to create change, to create better workplaces. Partners for Change (myself and male co-facilitator Tim Muirhead) brings together equal numbers of men and women to examine masculinity and femininity in the workplace, to have courageous conversations, and to create change.
Men as middle managers. Target the right people
We all know about Male Champions for Change, high profile CEO’s who spruik the message for gender equality. But it is men in the middle of organisations who have substantial impact on setting organisational culture, and who have power over the careers of their subordinates.
Men, mentoring and sponsorship. Dismantle the ‘boy’s club’ once and for all.
We used to talk a lot about the ‘boy’s club’. However, a more positive way of engaging men in being more inclusive, and in tackling their homosocial bias (more comfortable hanging out with other men) is to focus on building more inclusive mentoring and sponsorship practices. This can be a very practical and powerful lever for change.
Men doing harm. Make all toxic masculinity visible, not just extreme behaviour.
Many men are unaware of how their masculinity and homosocial behaviours impact on others and cause harm in the workplace. It is important to create awareness, and tackle the more everyday workplace behaviours that have become normalised. They have a harmful, corrosive and career undermining impact on women, some men and non binary people.
For more details head over to my webpage A Focus on Men and sign up for my newsletter while you’re there to make sure you catch the upcoming series of blogs on men.