Effectively engaging more men in the fight for gender equality won't be easy. A 2019 Time Magazine poll found that 65 percent of men don't believe that sexism is a serious problem in the United States. The same poll showed nearly half of men believing that the gender pay gap is “made up.” It is not: Research from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that working women earn 81 percent of their male counterparts’ salaries. 

But battling through these misperceptions is a worthwhile endeavor: Men are essential allies who can mobilize new partners, unlock new dollars, create powerful new collaborations, and elevate new voices to advance gender equality.

One strategy to enlist men as allies for gender equality is to look for their support in unexpected places. For nonprofits in the gender equality movement like Rise Up, it’s about finding a partner that shares your vision, trusts your expertise, and invests in your impact. As more companies are publicly committing to gender equality, the moment is ripe to challenge corporate leaders to match their words with a real strategy and investment plan that support not just their teams, but also the communities in which they operate.

Another strategy for engaging more men in the fight for gender equality is to highlight and support those who are already doing it well. Rise Up has invested in leaders like Ricardo Preciado Jiménez in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. He works on dismantling machismo culture and preventing violence against women by helping adolescent boys eliminate gender stereotypes, build empathy, and redefine masculinity.

New data provide a third way to enlist more men in the gender equality movement. In recent years, investments have expanded the evidence at our disposal to make the case for engaging men in the fight for gender equality.

Read the full article about using men as allies to fight for gender equality by Denise Raquel Dunning and Mary T. Chandler at Stanford Social Innovation Review.