In a Me Too World, How Do You Engage Men as Allies for Gender Equality at Work?

GenderWorks launches a new approach for accelerating gender diversity progress

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May 15, 2019, 08:47 ET

LEXINGTON, Mass., May 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The goal of launching GenderWorks - a coaching and consulting firm for organizations seeking real progress in gender diversity initiatives - is to include, engage and celebrate men's role in making gender equality a reality in the workplace.

Business leaders understand the need to develop and advance women leaders. Yet in McKinsey & Company's Women in the Workplace 2018 report, the central message was that despite organizations reporting being highly committed to gender diversity, progress for women is stalled.

In 1848, the first women's rights convention in the U.S. was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Men comprised 1 in 3 of the attendees at the famous meeting. Suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton famously remarked, "And when women and men think, the first step in progress is taken." Indeed it was and helped lay the foundation for where we are today. But, we need a NEW coalition of women and men for the 21st century journey.

Men, we welcome you to join with women, to drive change toward gender equality. Did you know? Based on current research, men benefit from gender equality in numerous ways: better health, greater happiness, higher marital satisfaction, stronger relationships with their children, and greater economic stability!

The Me Too movement has been critical for revealing the rampant harassment women confront in the workplace, yet it has simultaneously chilled men's inclination to support women's professional development. Many men in organizations perceive gender issues in the workplace as confusing, uncomfortable, even dangerous.

Lisa D'Annolfo Levey, founder and principal of GenderWorks:

It is critical to engage men in efforts to strengthen gender diversity, yet, the typical approach does far more to confuse and distance men than to involve them. At GenderWorks, we treat men not as the problem but as a key part of the solution. Employing brain research, a deep understanding of men's thinking on gender equality, and decades of experience facilitating women's advancement, our approach is truly unique.

GenderWorks combines a change framework anchored in neuroscience with extensive research on what drives men's engagement in gender diversity work. With the goal of substantially improving gender equality in the workplace, GenderWorks partners with organizations to proactively engage men as allies and partners.

The company works with human resource professionals, senior leaders, and men [as well as women] across the organization, providing services such as: assessing men's perceptions of gender diversity at the company, identifying how male allies can strengthen current diversity efforts, launching male ally groups, and designing male ally leadership programs.

Ms. Levey brings more than two decades consulting to leading companies, firms, and non-profits on diversity, women's advancement and creating work cultures that provide a competitive advantage. She has long been a voice for the critical role of men in the gender conversation. Bryan Levey, special advisor to GenderWorks, brings decades of experience managing high-tech talent, supporting women's professional development and strengthening gender balance on his teams.

For further information, contact GenderWorks at http s ://www.GenderWorks.com/ and by phone at 781-589-9132.

About GenderWorks:

GenderWorks is a consulting and coaching company, working with organizations to accelerate gender equality progress in the workplace by actively engaging men. The company works with Human Resource professionals, senior leaders, and men [as well as women] across levels of the organization. GenderWorks identifies opportunities to engage men in diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts, facilitates the creation of male ally groups, develops customized male ally leadership development programs, and coaches men in small groups and individually.

Contact:
Lisa Levey
781-589-9132

GenderWorks 440 Massachusetts Ave. Lexington, Massachusetts 02420
781-589-9132 GenderWorks.com

SOURCE GenderWorks