Dive Brief:
- An analysis of global survey data by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shows that millennial men may play a larger role in the push for workplace gender equality than previously thought. The report, which examined the responses of 17,500 individuals from companies in 21 countries, found that young men are generally more aligned with women's concerns about gender bias than men from previous generations.
- According to the research, young men's understanding of gender bias stems from their changing roles in today's society. Millennial men are more likely than their predecessors to be part of a dual-income partnership that shares responsibility for child-rearing, and they're also more likely to adapt their behavior to support female co-workers.
- BCG says that because millennial men make up a critical segment of the workplace, employers should involve them in advancing diversity and shaping family-friendly policies.
Dive Insight:
Women continue to face discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace, despite the enactment of employment laws like Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act to address these issues.
Women's wages still lag behind men's, and their representation within the upper levels of management at most firms is disproportionate to the labor force's composition. Employers must ensure that bias doesn't creep into decision-making and properly investigate discrimination claims.
And if your goal is to create a culture of equality for all employees, this research shows that male employees must be involved in ending gender bias. It has already been demonstrated in other literature that the support of male leadership is critical to women's career advancement: In a Working Mother study, women respondents reported better raises, promotions and assignments when they had the support of male leadership.