Allyship is increasingly viewed as a crucial practice to address social and economic inequities faced by marginalized groups. However, little research explores how dominant group members can behave as allies and what marginalized group individuals consider as valuable. Research shows that women faculty in male-dominated academic disciplines regularly experience gendered microaggressions and sexism. In this study, using qualitative narratives from 202 women and men faculty in male-dominated academic departments, we explore women's experiences as recipients of allyship, and men's experiences engaging in allyship. Further, we compare narratives about and from men considered 'good colleagues' versus 'exceptional allies.'The findings reveal that good colleagues engage in an array of interpersonally supportive allyship behaviors (e.g., active listening). In contrast, exceptional allies go beyond them by undertaking consequential and conspicuous actions on behalf of women (e.g., impression promotion), a set of behaviors we term as visible advocacy. By exploring the range of allyship behaviors engaged in by men and viewed by women as valuable, we highlight implications for literature on gender equity and allyship. This study carries practical implications for men who desire to become better allies to women.
Allyship is increasingly promoted as a tool to support gender diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, including in higher education institutions. Male allyship toward women can be a useful expression of men's positive/caring masculinity, but little empirical research has examined if and how male allyship benefits men and women psychologically and socially. Using women's other-and self-reports and men's self-reports from 101 male-female colleague dyads in male-dominated departments, we tested a model involving men's allyship, women's inclusion and vitality, and men's growth and work-family enrichment. As hypothesized, men's growth mediated the link between their allyship and work-family enrichment, and women's perceptions of men's allyship predicted women's vitality, both directly and through inclusion. However, men's allyship was weakly associated with women's perceptions of their allyship, and men's benefits were unrelated to women's inclusion or vitality. Findings highlight the importance of male allyship rooted in positive masculinity while underscoring a disconnect between women's and men's experiences. The implications for promoting gender inclusion and diversity in maledominated departments of higher education are discussed.
Public Significance StatementMen engaging as allies to women is key to ensuring gender equity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and male-dominated academic departments and is beneficial to both male and female faculty. Male faculty's engagement in allyship plays a role in their personal growth and workfamily enrichment. When women faculty perceive male colleagues as allies, they feel energized and included at work.
Race and resemblance are tied to family membership, and relationships characterize family dynamics. In this article, we argue that race, resemblance, and relationships intersect in distinct, layered ways in multiracial families. While scholarship has documented how multiracial families have historically been considered outside of the norm, little research has explored the impact of this racialized reality on family relationships. This article examines how phenotype shapes family interactions and, over time, the family relationships between a child and her or his mother, father, and sibling(s) through the voices of 60 black/white biracial adults. By reflecting on their earliest childhood memories to their most recent encounters, their narratives illuminate experiences shaped by their status in a multiracial—and historically unorthodox—family. We underscore how multiracial families are perceived by others based on racial resemblance (or lack thereof), how family members contend with these racialized perceptions, and how black/white biracial Americans perceive their own family relationships.
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