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When Men Lead Women: Navigating the Facts, Fears and Frustrations of Gender Equality as a Male Leader

For: HR, L&D, Leaders, and of course, Men

Purpose: To provide the pathway forward for a new dialogue between men and women

This is a pocketbook about the unspoken responses of men to the rise of women at work. Men are grappling with their place in the fight for gender equality. They have questions, concerns, fears, and curiosities, about their presence and purpose in this issue, and are not always sure how to enter into discussions with sensitivity and support. Not all of their thoughts feel safe to explore in general discussion, without seeming sexist, ignorant or unsupportive.

This book is an attempt to surface the conversations that feel taboo, that may be unpopular, and perhaps a little too controversial to say out loud. It's an opportunity for men (and women) to engage in real dialogue and get answers to the questions they're hesitant to ask. Without a safe space to explore and understand the role men play in striving for equality, society as a whole will remain stuck in the status quo.

The ideas in this book provide the pathway forward for a new dialogue between men and women: A dialogue where blame and fear are replaced with clarity and courage, and men feel not only encouraged to get involved, but crucial to the cause.

Watch:

Why gender equality is good for everyone—men included

Michael Kimmel, the pre-eminent scholar of men and masculinity, makes the surprising, funny, practical case for treating men and women equally in the workplace and at home. It's not a zero-sum game, but a win/win that will result in more opportunity and more happiness for everybody.

Anneli Blundell pens this paper without blame and without favour, taking a practical look at women in the workforce and offering points for discussion that seek to open up perspectives, challenge assumptions, and draw us all into an active stance on moving the needle forward.

David Smith, associate professor of sociology at the U.S. Naval War College, and Brad Johnson, professor of psychology at the United States Naval Academy, offer their advice on how men can be thoughtful allies to the women with whom they work. They are the authors of Athena rising: How and why men should mentor women.

Watch:

I’ve lived as a man & a women -- here’s what I learned   

Chief Executive Women and Male Champions of Change team up to examine our use of merit and what we can do to avoid the merit trap of ‘I always hire the best person for the job.’

Women are expected and asked to do thankless tasks—order lunch, handle less-valued clients—more than men, and research shows that doing those tasks slows down their career advancement and makes them unhappy at work.

This explores how our culture's narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men and society at large and unveils what we can do about it.

This paper describes a model to help leaders learn and find better ways to lead the efforts that seek to achieve greater gender balance in organisations. It is an attempt to better analyse what we have been doing, reveal what has and hasn’t worked and then adopt more effective ways of moving ahead.