Why male leaders matter in workplace gender equity
Workplaces across Australia and globally need male leaders to take a gender-inclusive approach. Yes, this makes workplaces better for women. But it also improves workplaces for everybody, including men.
Men benefit when workplaces are more inclusive. Narrow definitions of masculinity that praise dominance, control, and constant availability can limit emotional expression, discourage help seeking, and reward overwork. When these norms are challenged, inclusive cultures can support healthier expectations around care, collaboration, and wellbeing. This helps create safer, more respectful and equitable conditions for all employees.
Inclusive leadership is also now recognised as a core executive capability. Leaders operate in complex and competitive environments, often under heightened scrutiny. Those who are effective know how to lead diverse teams, draw on varied perspectives and create conditions for meaningful contribution. Research consistently links diverse and inclusive teams with stronger decision-making, improved innovation, greater talent retention and more resilient performance.
Men continue to hold a significant proportion of senior leadership roles, and with that comes structural power and influence. The way male leaders exercise authority, allocate opportunity and define merit has direct consequences for gender equity and the everyday experiences of women in the workplace. If these practices remain unexamined, inequity is reproduced, even in organisations that express strong commitments to fairness.
How can men take an active role in workplace gender equity?
People Measures has developed the Men Actioning Inclusive Leadership (MAIL) program to support male leaders to take an active role in gender equity and creating more inclusive workplaces.
MAIL is a leadership development program for male senior executives. It is designed to support men who hold organisational power and authority to use that power deliberately in ways that advance gender equity and create fairer more inclusive workplaces for everyone.
MAIL is not theoretical or ‘teaching’ content. The evidence-based design is delivered by senior facilitators with deep expertise in the fields of gender equity and leadership development. MAIL creates an opportunity for male leaders to learn to apply practical tools and strategies to make their workplaces fairer.
What makes MAIL different
MAIL is a leadership program, not a diversity program. The program has been highlighted in an article in leading peer reviewed international journal Academy of Management Learning & Education as a rare example of an initiative that focuses simultaneously on men, leadership, and gender equity.
The MAIL program is recognised as being distinct in its approach to engage men in positions of influence to actively challenge gender norms and contribute to more equitable workplaces. This matters because many interventions focus either on women’s development or on generic diversity awareness, without engaging senior male decision makers in sustained leadership work.
The focus throughout the program is both on individual benefit and behaviour, and structural change.
About People Measures
People Measures is an Australian consultancy of organisational psychologists and leadership development experts. We work with organisations to create measurable change in culture, talent and leadership.
Find out more about MAIL and get in touch
If you or your organisation is working to address workplace gender equity and want to strengthen how male leaders engage with this work, you can find out more about the MAIL program here: https://www.peoplemeasures.com.au/service/mail/