What the research says & how to help

“This is not a men vs women issue. It’s about people vs prejudice.”

― Laura Bates

The handsy professor in Legally Blonde. The pushback against gender discrimination in the iconic film 9-5. The dismissal of Judy Hobbs in Zootopia. Over the years, pop culture has done a stellar job of highlighting the struggles surrounding sexism in the workplace. But how about in the real world? 

Though issues of gender discrimination can be portrayed as a standoff between men and women, it’s about so much more than that. In Laura's words, it’s about ‘people vs prejudice’ – the upward climb is getting men to detect those prejudices and fight back. Deep breaths, everyone.

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A recent research experiment found that 76% of the surveyed ‘wanted to be allies for underrepresented and marginalised people in their organisation’. As a woman, would you say that 76% of men would fight your corner? Sure, anyone can tweet #EqualityInTheWorkplace but that doesn’t make them an ally. The question is, if men can pick up on gender discrimination, then why don’t they all act?

The MARC recently revealed that while 86% of men say they are committed to stopping sexist behaviour at work, only 31% feel they have the confidence to push back against their peers. After all, our boy Dumbledore said it best: "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

If you’re in a position of power in your business, then it’s important to detect sexism in your workplace, whilst also recognising masculine anxiety. Here’s how you can encourage the men in your company to see it, say it, sort it *in tube overlord voice* ...  

• Be inclusive: If you have sway over recruitment, make sure that you appoint women of all levels of expertise so that your team can see the benefit of diverse opinions and ideas from every angle. Breaking the mould is crucial at any level.

• Be clear: Have a foolproof sexual harassment policy with a very clear outline of the consequences. Let your workforce know that actions will follow any form of harassment. We’d advise putting in mandatory training on how to notice sexual misconduct in the workplace and report it.

• Challenge, challenge, challenge: Outdated biases and behaviours aren’t always obvious to everyone. It’s important to continuously educate your organisation in what is and isn’t acceptable. A one-day course and off-the-cuff gendered language isn’t going to make a change. Increasing awareness on what counts as sexism is key. 

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