Feminists wore bustles, marched for the vote, burned their bras and demanded equality. So is it mission accomplished? Why are some women rejecting feminism? Why are some men embracing it? What role does feminism play today, and what does it mean to be a feminist in the 21st Centruy? Lisa Levey, diversity consultant, advocate for men in the gender debates, …
It’s an age-old complaint: men don’t do their share of housework and child care. But maybe it’s not just because they won’t. Maybe it’s because women resist it. Sounds like an old Phyllis Schlafley idea (Google it, kids). We women work hard and we want men to help pull the domestic weight. But consultant Lisa D’Annolfo Levey, a national advocate …
Women have earned the majority of bachelor’s and master’s degrees for more than 30 years. They’ve represented over 40% of law school and medical school graduates for more than two decades. Women are the majority of the management and professional workforce in the U.S. Yet, they account for only 25% of senior-level officials in the Fortune 500, 27% of state …
How gender equality affects their children, their workplaces, and a man’s mate. I’ve had the good fortune to see the many ways in which gender equality is good for men through my consulting, my research, and in my own life. And I have also come to understand how loaded and confusing gender equality can be for men. At a presentation …
Madame President or Mrs. President, which should it be? We are on the cusp of developing a whole new vocabulary for describing the first woman to be the leader of the free world yet, there has been strangely little focus on just how historic this is. I know I share the sentiment of so many women, and men, in saying …
Gender equality starts with the recognition that idealized roles—at work and at home—constrain us all. This four-part series on why gender equality is powerfully beneficial for men began with data. In comparison to men who share less equally with their partner or spouse in the care of their children, those men who are more involved: Are healthier, both mentally and …
Men’s experiences of and satisfaction with work and income This article is a follow-up to an earlier piece published on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. The central message was: Men in egalitarian marriages and relationships enjoy many benefits. This is not common knowledge. The article highlighted findings from a study of millennial fathers conducted by the Boston College Center for Work & Family, …
Research shows gender equality for men translates to greater career flexibility, more financial security, and more time for life outside of work. As Valentine’s Day approaches, many men feel pressure to send the flowers, buy the jewelry, arrange and pay for the nice dinner while you seem to hear much less about what women need to be doing ahead of …
Every once in a while you come across someone who changes the way you think about the world. This amazing woman, this visionary leader, is one of those people. Imagine your 15 year old son – a terrific kid, a bookworm, a youth working to make his community a better place, a dreamer with the goal of being president someday …
In early 2015, a subject heading caught my attention while I was scrolling through email. I clicked on the message to find an announcement for an international conference on masculinity being hosted that spring in New York City. The conference name, and the subject line, read Engaging Men and Boys for Gender Equality. I am a long-term diversity consultant, having …
According to recent anthropological research, men played an active role in child care and egalitarianism ruled the day in the earliest human societies. It was with the advent of agriculture — and the ability to accumulate resources — that gendered roles began to take hold. Fast forward several thousand years and the struggle for gender equality persists. We have …
Innovation is critical to business success yet does not come about by telling employees, “Be innovative!” or by asking employees, “What’s the new thing? The new product? The new discovery?” Instead innovation is facilitated by creating an environment that allows employees to imagine, to wrestle, to explore and to iterate. It results from providing opportunities to link nascent thoughts and …
A few years ago at a wildlife center in Alaska, the naturalist told a group of us that the magnificent hawk perched on his arm was in ‘stealth mode’, hiding in plain sight. At a professional breakfast last week, the OnRamp Expo, sponsored by reacHIRE at Boston’s Innovation Center, I witnessed the same phenomena. Let me explain. I watched a group of …
One of the most challenging aspects for those seeking to drive diversity progress in the business world is the slow rate of change. As an organizational consultant working with clients to create more inclusive work cultures and to “move the numbers,” I know how frustrating and discouraging this can feel at times I recently read a report, The Diversity Paradox: Capturing …
Massachusetts is known for being in the vanguard on controversial issues. Same-sex marriage in 2004. Check. Health care reform in 2006. Check. Next up on the list: gender equity in the workplace. The drive to accelerate gender balance in the workplace is in the air in Massachusetts. Last fall I blogged about the Manbassadors, a group of male allies at …