Male Allies Moving the Gender Equity Needle

Collaborations that include men offer distinct benefits in efforts to achieve gender equity. In the past six years FORWARD, through its NSF Institutional Transformation ADVANCE project, has developed and implemented an Advocates and Allies program for male faculty, designed to augment its goals to transform the climate of the institution and increase participation of women faculty.

This program is composed of FORWARD Advocates, male faculty who educate themselves about issues of gender equality, and Allies, male faculty whom the Advocates train as proponents for gender equity in their departments. FORWARD Advocates are men who have a record of supporting women in their department, colleges, and the university. FORWARD Advocates and Allies are expected to be active and effective proponents of gender diversity and equality specifically in terms of increasing the number of women faculty, encouraging the hiring and promotion of women faculty in administrative positions, and ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of women within their units.