Engaging Men: Why Conversation Can Be a Catalyst to Progress

By Aimee Hansen

On September 20th, 2014, British Actor and Goodwill Ambassador for UN women Emma Watson made a speech that implored males to step up to the fight for gender equality, to liberate both females and themselves from the constraints of gender stereotypes. In doing so, she launched the “HeForShe” initiative, proposing “A solidary movement around gender equality.” Vanity Fair called it “game-changing.”

Is everybody convinced the speech and campaign will lead to real change? No. Has it received criticism for falling short of the expectations of what a UN fight for gender equality campaign could sound like, as the voice of women across the world? Yes. The speech and campaign has been criticized for reflecting only a white-privileged grasp of gender inequity, reinforcing a gender binary, reflecting men as saviors who stand up “for” women rather than “beside” women, tempering feminism to motivate men, providing feel good passive activism, and paying lip service to change while providing little clarity on action – among other things.

BUT, did the speech catalyze the public discourse around feminism?

At Emma Watson’s latest speech at the DAVOS conference in January 2015, she stated “The HeForShe conference was watched over 11 million times, sparking 1.2 billion social media conversations, culminating in the HeForShe hashtag becoming so popular that Twitter painted it on the walls of its headquarters, and men from almost every country in the world signed up for our commitment.”

Public Discourse & Gender Initiatives
A Harvard Business School working paper behind a study released in May 2013 revealed how external forces shape internal corporate action, observing that corporate action on gender diversity across two decades at one large international consulting and accounting firm was the result of a reaction to cultural trends as tracked in the business press.

The Harvard University and Simmons College researchers noted focal phases in the media from 1991 to 2009, with media trending based on analysis of articles on gender discrepancy and work in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Accounting Today and CPA Journal and compared that to the development of gender initiatives within the firm.

The researchers reported on the outside-inside dynamic: “Regarding timing, as each discourse peaked in the media, internal discrepancies between expectations and outcomes rose, sparking the onset of a new internal analysis phase. Analysis was the firm’s response to internal and external challenges to prevailing beliefs about gender and work. Regarding content, in each cycle, the beliefs seemingly derived through internal analysis echoed the substance of the social discourse at the onset of the analysis period, and these beliefs, formalized in Initiative mission statements and stated in internal documents, directed activities inside the firm during the following action phase.”

The researchers observed three dominant themes that phased through the media during the time period – gender bias, under-representation, and work-family conflict.

“Gender bias” peaked in 1991, correlating with executives at the firm beginning to question why there were proportionally fewer female partners. This led to a period of data collection and analysis at the firm, a questioning of the beliefs which revealed discrepancy on the basis of that analysis, and then a lengthy period of action, in the form of creating a Woman’s Initiative.

“Over the next 20 years, the Women’s Initiative became an integral part of the organization, affecting internal practices, the firm’s relationships with clients, and internally and externally held beliefs about the organization,” the researchers wrote. Following on, “Activities between 1993 and 1997 included changes in organizational structure and new policies and practices designed to achieve this mission. As a result, several women were appointed to the firm’s board of directors and the firm moved ahead of its competitors in terms of number of women partners.” Moving towards 1998, “under-representation” as a theme peaked chased by “work-family conflict” peaking in 2002 and remaining dominant throughout much of the decade.

Each dominant media theme was followed by internal periods of analysis on behalf of the corporation, questioning of beliefs, and then an action period of several years.

The researchers suggested, “Shifts in societal understandings of gender and work drive new aspirations within the organization, setting up a gap between the present reality and the potentially brighter future. Simultaneously, the gap between the results of the present course of action and the expectations of those actions are also accumulating. Thus, the external shifts in discourse, along with the results of prior internal action, create discrepancies and dissatisfaction with the present course of action.”

The researchers proposed that the external credible influence/internal relevant discussion dynamic helps to begin opening up alternatives. They also reflected, “Over the entire period of study, through iterations of beliefs and activities, the organizational change we observed was discontinuous, evolutionary and revolutionary.”

The study found that as of 2008, no one gender theme was dominant.

A Rising Theme?
The HeForShe speech and initiative has been widely talked about in the popular media, and that does not mean it’s divorced from interest, momentum, or influence in business. Looking closer, the campaign title partner is JP Morgan Chase & Co. Among the inaugural team who will serve as Champions for IMPACT 10x10x10, the roll-out effort focused on engaging governments, business, and universities in “concrete commitments to gender equality,” is Dennis Nally, Chairman of PwC.

The critical importance of engaging men as diversity champions has been an on-going key focus for those driving the diversity agenda in business such as Catalyst and The Glass Hammer, whose 4th annual Navigating Your Career is exclusively focused on “Engaging Men as Champions, Allies and Sponsors”.

The HeForShe website states, “All over the world, men are taking a stand for gender equality,” reflecting it’s over 200,000 sign-ups. To what extent and effect is a topic of both debate and discussion, and while talk or a click is never enough, conversation ignites conversation and that can catalyze action.

At the corporate level, if the topic of a co-gendered approach to gender equality gains more momentum, more gravitas, and more expert support in the social discourse, it may not be without effect.