Calling on Male Allies to Promote Gender Equity in I-O Psychology

Abstract

As Gardner, Ryan, and Snoeyink (2018) state, their findings on gender representation in industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology indicate that “the profession as a whole falls into the category of ‘not walking the talk’” (p. 385). We agree that it is imperative to understand the current state of gender inequity in our field while also actively working toward achieving gender equity. This article attempts to inspire each and every individual in I-O psychology to feel a personal responsibility to engage in behaviors that reduce gender disparities in our field. Although women are normatively the focus in fights for gender equity, men should be equal partners in these efforts. In this commentary, we focus on the contributions that male allies in I-O psychology can make in fostering gender equity. To be clear, we are not claiming that women need to be rescued by men; however, we do believe that I-O psychology can achieve the greatest progress toward gender equity when both women and men engage in supportive efforts. As Emma Watson said in her 2014 United Nations speech, “How can we affect change in the world when only half of it is invited or feel welcome to participate in the conversation?” (UN Women, 2014). In times when political leaders and national laws may fail women, it is crucial that local communities—like the I-O community—adopt a clear stance in promoting gender equity. In this commentary, we define allyship, discuss the importance of male allies, suggest ways in which male allies can help promote gender equity in I-O psychology, and consider potential barriers to male allyship and ways to overcome them. The strategies that we propose are by no means exhaustive; rather, they are suggestions for how to initiate a larger movement.

Strategies That Male Allies Use to Advance Women in the Workplace

“…Men hold a majority of the most powerful roles and positions in organizations, yet their voices are "noticeably absent" from the conversations about women in leadership (Sherf et al, 2017, p. 194). While men have not traditionally been seen as supporters of women's advancement, changes in the business world-and the current social and political climate-have brought more attention to gender equality and the need for male allies in the workplace (Cheng et al, 2018). Because men are the largest and most influential stakeholder group, their involvement and promotion of gender-parity initiatives are imperative (Center for Women and Business, 2017; Prime & Moss-Racusin, 2009;Sherf et al, 2017).…”

“…Although definitions vary slightly, the essence of allyship comes through supporting the members of a disadvantaged group, even when a member of that group is not in the room (Center for Women and Business, 2017). Research has framed allyship as being a part of the dominant group, which provides allies with the ability to draw on social capital not available to marginalized individuals that can then be leveraged to create equity for marginalized groups (Anicha et al, 2015;Cheng et al, 2018;Peretz, 2018). This is particularly true for White men, who are the most entrenched demographic within the corporate environment and who are "uniquely immune from backlash when advocating on behalf of others" (Cleaver, 2016, p. 1).…”

“…Research relating the theory of allyship to corporate settings shows male allies have distinct opportunities to be influential advocates to create change in gender-inclusion efforts (Cheng et al, 2018;Prime & Moss-Racusin, 2009). As mentioned earlier, the theory of allyship requires a member of the dominant group to take intentional action to interrupt sexism or gender injustice.…”

“…Over the last several decades, academic research and the popular press have brought attention to the lack of gender parity in the workforce (Madsen & Scribner, 2017). While progress has been made at increasing the number of women in entry-level and lowerlevel management positions, men continue to dominate the upper echelons of organizations and retain the most powerful positions, leaving women consistently underrepresented or completely absent from senior leadership teams (Bowers, 2016;Cheng, Ng, Trump-Steele, Corrington, & Hebl, 2018;Krentz, Wierzba, Abouzahr, Garcia-Alonso, & Taplett, 2017;Sawyer & Valerio, 2018). Current statistics show women hold only 4% of CEO positions in the Standard & Poor's (S&P) top 500 companies, despite being just as ambitious and educated as men (Sawyer & Valerio, 2018).…”

“…There are too few women leaders to effect meaningful change alone, and because men constitute most of an organization's leadership, their involvement is critical. By working together, men and women can transform their workplaces to ensure diversity and gender parity are valued (Cheng et al, 2018;Krentz et al, 2017;Prime & Moss-Racusin, 2009;Sherf et al, 2017). Although many men understand and embrace the "business case" for women in management and leadership, they lack effective strategies they can use in workplace settings to advance women (Center for Women and Business, 2017).…”