Member-only story
How To Be A Male Ally For Women’s Empowerment
In simplified, no BS, clear terms.
I’m attending a seminar on discrimination women face in the workforce. The group consists of about 10 women, and 2 men. The facilitator opens up the floor for participants to share their experiences. All the women narrate stories that make me cringe.
When my turn comes to speak, I really can’t think of anything to say, because I have not, even once, experienced a situation at work in which I would feel I have been treated a certain way based solely on my gender.
Deeper reflection after that moment of revelation made me realise why that was. We’ll get to that in a bit.
I work in an industry that is heavily male-dominated. I have been to meetings in which I was the only woman out of 30 participants. On top of that I’m quite younger than most of the people in my industry. So I figured, if anyone should face these issues it should be me.
Further reflection revealed that it’s not that I don’t face them. It’s that when they do arise, they are swiftly taken care of by my boss, before they become a cringe-worthy memory. Let’s call my boss Alex.
Alex is the CEO. He’s well-read, well-travelled, and generally a good person to be around. Alex is also a feminist. In this male dominated…
