Male allyship is critical in the evolution of gender equality programs in the workplace. Indeed, when men are included in gender equality programs, 96% of organizations see progress — compared to only 30% of organizations when men are not engaged, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Now, a first of its kind study examined how emerging male leaders in law and business, specifically law students, construct their idea of what it means to be an ally to women, especially women of color. In this randomized study done in collaboration with Penn Law students and Thomson Reuters, we analyze how these emerging leaders build allyship in ways that could alter the concept of leadership in the future.
In a white paper, “Allyship: Upstander v. Bystander”, Rangita de Silva de Alwis examines the study and looks at a way to frame the various intersections of race, gender, and multiple identities in the context of allyship as a guide in addressing different forms of system and structural bias.
Male Allyship in the Future of Work: Full Report
Women, Law and Leadership in the Fall of 2019, we examined the changing landscape of women in leadership and the importance of powerful allies who could disrupt the status quo in favor of women. Growing out of our research on women who lead, we partnered with Thomson Reuters to conduct research on the future of allyship through interviews with a diverse and global group of male leaders. We wanted to find out how they responded to the changing demographics in the workplace, how would they react to women leaders and bosses and work-family policies that engage women and men on an equal basis. Most of all, we wanted to deconstruct given assumptions about men and allyship and examine what allyship looked like to men from diverse backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and other differences. The Male Allyship in the Future of Work Advancing Inclusive Leadership report is the culmination of our study.
ALLYSHIP: UPSTANDER VS. BYSTANDER: Allyship as the New Theory and Practice of Diversity and Inclusion
An examination by Rangita de Silva de Alwis of the study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School on “Allyship in the Future of Work.”
This White Paper looks at a way to frame the various intersections of race, gender and multiple identities in the context of allyship. Allyship used within this framework can guide us in addressing different forms of systemic and structural bias that plague our workplaces and public consciousness.