We want change, it requires everyone to get on board, and that includes you and I. The only way we can achieve equality is for everyone to consciously do the work that takes us there and that includes men.
The fact that you are revealing yourself to be willing to listen and support gender-specific issues is a significant step in building equality.
As men, we must be committed to building better relationships with women, expressing as little sexism in our behaviour and demonstrating active efforts to address gender inequities at work and in society. We must make society not just a better place for ourselves but for women as well.
Here are six ways that men can be better allies to women in the workplace.
Don’t enable rape culture with your silence:
Being an ally goes beyond social media and adding it to your bio to make it fancier. Being an ally extends to real life, and you should speak up within your social circle, that locker room. Call it out when you see it and do not enable rape or sexual harassment with your silence.
Read Up:
Put in the effort to actively understand the histories, context and current issues that affect women. You can only improve what you know and fill in the spaces when you know there is a lack.
Amplify the voices of women:
Female viewpoints are to be actively sought and given as much credence as male ones. Allow women to speak and share their concerns and when they speak up, take action.
The more opportunities that a woman has to voice out, the more chances that the culture will change.
Challenge sexism:
Sexism starts from the way you train your daughter differently from your son. Challenging these roles can be difficult, but it’s worth doing. Take the concerns of women seriously and support them when they are challenging sexism.
Listen:
It is not about you, so stop trying to get all the attention. Do not spend an awful lot of time trying to get attention after all, instead listen to what women have to say and act on it.
Advocate for equality in the workplace:
Keep an eye out for practices that can cause bias. If you are in management, ensure that you are providing equal pay for equal work.
Fight the Patriarchy, not women:
We will never be able to understand what mansplaining feels like. No matter how much of an ally we claim to be, men will never be able to understand the full extent of the plight of women under patriarchy.
Understand and acknowledge your privilege:
Recognising this helps you show empathy to women and everyone else. The gender pay gap is real, and men are not attacked by feminism. It is really just about being aware and working at recognising gender inequality in all its forms. If men can be better allies, then world can become fairer for all of us.
