Male Allyship

What is allyship and why is it important?

We know that getting men and leaders onboard as allies increases the success of gender equity initiatives in the work place. It’s been proven that encouraging allyship accelerates efforts to progress the journey of women into senior leadership positions. But what exactly is allyship?

Allyship is about leaders and male colleagues taking a step back and considering the world and the workplace from a woman’s lived experience. It’s about listening to the experiences of women and being inquisitive to find out what barriers they may have faced or be facing at work, for example negotiating equal pay.

Allyship is also about men and leaders speaking up for women, being aware of the invisible advantages that men may have experienced in the world of work and being mindful of the disadvantages that women may have faced. It’s about supporting women at work and challenging stereotypes and unconscious bias.