What men can do to create gender inclusive workplaces

As a woman who transitioned from a female majority career to being the only woman in the office, I quickly saw that the gender biases I assumed were long gone, still exist in corporate America.

I’ve loved my time in startups, but I’ve also seen the need to bring men into the equity conversation—creating allies, not enemies.

My male allies helped me negotiate a 54% raise when I was out of pay parity with male counterparts. They spoke my name in rooms where the executive team was present. They gave me opportunities to participate in hiring and managing when I was a junior employee. They taught me how to measure to outcomes. They held space for me to lead our company’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) for women.

In those Women of Divvy ERG meetings, Michael was often the only man to show up to our meetings.

Meet Michael Harrington, Marketing Director and Girl Dad

In today’s episode of “Allies at Work”, you’ll hear from Michael Harrington, Marketing Director and devoted Girl Dad. Michael and I met while working at Divvy, a high growth tech company here in Utah—the U.S. state that ranks worst for gender equality. Michael enjoys a lot of privilege based on his identity, and he’s committed to doing his part to make our state a more equitable place for women, especially for his three daughters.

Michael gave me the biggest aha moment in this episode when he said that the most significant roadblock to gender allyship is often other men. Interestingly, seeing other men at women’s events was also one of the factors that made it easier for him to start his process of unlearning.

Men, this is why we need you to get involved in gender equality. Not only does it show support for women, it makes it easier for other men to get involved too.

Michael also shares a lot about his female “allyship mentors” who have been instrumental in boosting his understanding of the problems that exist in corporate spaces and what he can do. So women, there’s work for us too.

A few favorite moments

“Probably the biggest roadblock of allyship is probably other men.”

“You can 100 percent be a good person and be actively and negatively impacting the work experience of women around you. And I think that’s in many ways, far more insidious than overt misogynists in the workplace.”

“I’m a man. I will never have the experience in the workplace that a woman will have. And understanding that and being willing to accept that is something that is hugely important in allyship.”

To hear one man’s perspective on joining a women’s ERG, listen to the full conversation with Michael.

Allyship action: Amplify women’s voices

At the end of each episode, I share an allyship microaction that you can start using right away. Michael shared a couple great allyship actions in the episode: Join your women’s ERG. Find an allyship mentor. Keep a one word phrase in your backpocket so you can respond to sexism right away.

Here’s one more: Amplify women’s voices.

This tactic has an interesting backstory. Obama was the first sitting president to self-identify as a feminist. One-third of his top aides were women—the most diverse presidential administration prior to that date. Despite this, women in the oval office were still being ignored.

So Obama’s female staffers took a different tack.

These women adopted a meeting strategy called “amplification.”

When a woman made a key point, the allies in the room restated the idea and gave credit to the woman who said it.

It’s genius, and incredibly easy to replicate.

When you hear a woman or underestimated voice speak up in a meeting, amplify their comment:

“I liked Jaylin’s idea to do THIS because…”
“I want to reiterate THIS tactic that Veronica brought up. I’ll add that…”
“Thanks Deepa for bringing up THIS idea. I appreciate your perspective.”

Amplification is not groupthink or repeating bad ideas. It’s making sure that every voice is heard, and that women are celebrated for their contributions.

One other thing that I really love about this allyship tactic is that as the women in the Obama administration started amplifying each other’s voices more, Obama actually changed his behavior. He noticed what they were doing and he started calling on women and junior aides more often.

Whether or not you are a leader in your organization, you can impact change by amplifying women’s voices.

Men can empower other men to be allies at work and at home

As you start your allyship journey at work, you’ll naturally get curious about allyship in your home and family. In the next episode, I chat with a marriage expert and a working mom about how men can be better allies in their partner relationships.