What can men do about gender inequality?

A colleague recently asked me what he could do as a male ally who’s uncomfortable with gender inequality.

That got me thinking: How tuned-in are men to gender inequality? How common are men like my colleague who want to do their part to help us reach gender parity but are unsure of how they can help?

I applaud my colleague’s ability to step outside his own experience and empathize with women. I also realize male allies are essential to a culture that advances women.

Not everyone is willing to acknowledge the issue and recent data proves this point:

• Almost half of male respondents (46%) to a recent Time magazine poll of 8,566 adults said they believe the gender pay gap isn’t legitimate; it “is made up to serve a political purpose.”
• Men typically rate a company’s support for women higher than women do.
• Approximately half of all men and a third of all women said women were well represented in companies with merely 10% female leadership.

Female leadership is what my team set out to explore in a new analysis of the apparel industry. While our analysis is specific to apparel, what we uncovered applies more widely across the board:

• Inadequate corporate commitment
• Unconscious bias
• Institutional blind spots
• Succession issues
• Lack of structural support

While the analysis is troubling, there are steps that can be taken toward greater gender equality and men might well be among the most powerful weapons in the equal-opportunity arsenal. Here’s what many men already do — that others can learn from — to move the needle on progress:

1. Understand blind spots: Be aware of the mindset that leads you to the familiar; it contributes to bias in hiring, promotions and workplace treatment. It's impossible to address blind spots or overcome them if you’re not fully aware of them.
2. Actively promote change: More than 60% of men believe their company is already improving gender diversity, resulting in a lack of activity on their part. Additionally many men feel they are not empowered to make change. You don't have to be CEO to promote gender diversity. Men can be change agents in the workplace by doing something as simple as speaking up for a female colleague who is repeatedly cut off by another male colleague at a meeting. Male managers can ensure equal consideration for women in development and promotions.
3. Commit to mentoring women: In the wake of the #MeToo movement, some male bosses have said they're less willing to mentor junior female colleagues. To counter these steps backward, several high-profile CEOs have stepped up to publicly commit to mentoring women.
4. Be an invested sponsor: Mentoring is sometimes perceived as a passive activity with no skin in the game, while sponsorship implies a vested interest in the other’s career. It suggests a willingness to actively open pathways. The female CEOs we spoke with told us that male sponsors were invaluable in their career progression.

Although solving complex, deep-rooted, systemic challenges takes time, men have already proven that they can be effective allies by listening to female colleagues, supporting gender parity efforts, and committing to outcomes. I’m grateful to men like my colleague who are courageous and willing to step up, understand and play his part.