'StepUp': Male Allies for Gender Equity Leadership Program

Over the past decade People Measures has delivered many women in leadership programs in the public sector, private sector and the NFP sector. In addition, since 2019 the People Measures Women in Leadership Development (WILD) program has been a very successful open program which counts more than 300 women across all sectors as its alumni and has had a documented impact on participating women’s (work) lives.

However, while women’s leadership programs are often very useful in supporting women to build skills, increase confidence and network with other women in, or across, organisations, concerns have been raised, that women’s leadership programs struggle to address the contexts within which women operate and which continue to disadvantage them in comparison to their male colleagues (Metz & Kumra, 2019)[1].

To rectify this shortcoming, in 2023 People Measures/Monash University MINT partnered together with the Coles Group to design and deliver a program called StepUp: Male allies for gender equity. This program sought to equip male leaders at Coles with gender equity allyship and advocacy capabilities.

It was identified that learning outcomes should contain a mix of awareness raising as well as practical action, as follows:

• Understanding of gender and how it impacts one’s own and others’ lived experiences
• Knowledge of how gender is related to power and privilege
• Appreciation of the universal nature of gender bias
• Awareness of the benefits of gender equity for business, for people of all genders, for families and for society
• Strategies for promoting gender equity
• Techniques for engaging other men in gender diversity efforts
• Increased willingness to advocate for gender equity
• Increased commitment to challenging gender-biased mindsets and work practices.

Complementing the suite of activities already in place to support gender equity at Coles, StepUp was conducted over a three-month period and involved pre-program preparation, three workshops, a group action project, group coaching, and one-on-one coaching sessions.

People Measures/Monash University MINT were both involved in the design of the program (with Coles). People Measures subsequently delivered the program, while the MINT team conducted a deep, research-based evaluation of the program. The evaluation was based on in-depth interviews with the male participants, the Coles Chief Technology Officer who was the executive sponsor for the program, the Coles DEI team and the program facilitators.

Impact

While many of the participants began the program thinking of themselves as well-intentioned regarding gender equity, the evaluation found that the StepUp program deepened their understanding of the role gender plays in creating different workplace opportunities for women and men. A heightened awareness of gender-conferred privilege and of the universal and unconscious nature of gender bias were reported by the participants which helped them to appreciate more fully the barriers faced by women in the workplace.

In addition, participants described being less fearful of taking risks to support improved gender equity at Coles and described the changes they were making to workplace practices to be more inclusive of women. Participants reflected that the StepUp program had also led to changes in their personal lives, and they were now adopting a more thoughtful approach to parenting and taking on more responsibilities at home.

Some comments from program participants included:

“… the program has just instilled a greater awareness, a greater understanding and a better feeling of empowerment in this space, and I guess by just being more aware, I can act…”

“… we all think we’re well-intentioned but sometimes we make things worse, and for me it’s just fear of saying the wrong thing, and I think the most positive thing from the program was that you might say the wrong thing, but engaging with these things and talking to people about these things is such a powerful first step…”

People Measures have adapted StepUp into MAIL – Men Actioning Inclusive Leadership. MAIL is available as an in-house program for organisations and as a public open program. Whether you’re looking to build gender-inclusive leadership through our established MAIL program or tailor it to your organisation’s specific needs, we can support your goals.

Click here to learn more about MAIL

[1] Metz, I., & Kumra, S. (2019). Why are self-help books with career advice for women popular? Academy of Management Perspectives, 33(1), 82-93.