Allies for Gender Equity
Let's Work Together
Gender Equity is Everyone's Business
Today, women are underrepresented at every level of business leadership. To achieve gender equity, we need our male allies to understand why it matters and how to get involved.
What does it mean to be an ally for gender equity? Allies actively support gender equity at work and in life. They recognize the challenges and biases that women continue to face and take intentional steps to build an environment where everyone has opportunities to succeed and advance.
Allyship helps businesses win bigger. You are likely aware of the business case for gender diversity: greater profitability, greater creativity and innovation, less risk — and with each new research study the list of benefits lengthens. From the MBA campus to the corporate arena, Forté’s Allies for Gender Equity provides inspiration and instruction to everyone engaging in the gender equity conversation.
Resources
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Inclusive Leadership Program
Designed for professionals, this custom program gives participants the knowledge and tools to take effective action on gender equity at work. -
The MBA Toolkit
This free toolkit, based on the experiences of MBA allyship groups, offers a practical roadmap for developing allies on campus. -
The Corporate Toolkit
This free toolkit helps employees understand what it means to be an ally at work, why companies start allyship resource groups, and how to start.
How you can take action:
GET INSPIRED WITH STORIES FROM ALLIES
- Pam Fischer, VP of Academics for Graduate Women in Business, Darden
- Nick Vachon, Co-President of MIT Sloan Male Allies
- Brad Johnson, PhD, and David G. Smith, PhD, authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace
ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS
- In your professional experience, what have you noticed helps or hinders women at work?
- What have you observed helps women to thrive professionally? Does it differ from what helps men?
- What behaviors could you start, continue, or stop to become a better ally to women in the workplace?
- How can men encourage their male colleagues to get involved in supporting women at work?
LEARN WHAT ALLYSHIP LOOKS LIKE
In every role you play - leader, manager, colleague, peer, partner, or parent - you can support equity through your actions and behaviors. If you're not sure what allyship looks like for you, there's any easy way to get started: Ask the women in your life how you can better support them, and play close attention to their answers. Next, explore these resources to help you understand what it looks like to support gender equity:
5 Things Men Can Do To Be Allies to Women in the Workplace
There are many ways for men to be supportive at work that don’t require shouting “Sexism!” at their next meeting. Forté CEO Elissa Sangster shared some tips with Forbes.
Sexual Harassment Training Doesn’t Work. But Some Things Do.
This New York Times article highlights the steps individuals and companies can take to reduce sexual harassment in the workplace.
How Inclusive Managers Create Glass-Shattering Organizations
Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg, authors of Glass Half-Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work, share best practices for gender equity that also give companies a competitive advantage.
Male Allyship Is About Paying Attention
Brad Johnson, PhD, and David G. Smith, PhD, authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace explain how to build your situational awareness and recognize the impacts of gender in the workplace.
5 Ways to Improve Gender Equality in the Workplace
This article from the World Economic Forum offers tips for overcoming gender bias and creating more equitable workplaces.
Support Gender Equality
When you help launch another woman into a business career, you change the balance of power in the workplace.
