Catalyst Blog

I was never a fan of scary movies because there are enough real scary things already out there! Below is a list of the Top Ten that my colleagues and I are scared about this Halloween. Freddy Krueger’s got nothing on these.

The Catalyst Top Ten Halloween Fears:

#10. That “zombie boards,” homogenous boards of directors that lead to group think and less innovation, will live on.

#9. That the “old guard” who thinks that the system works well and all workplaces are already meritocracies will never retire.

#8. That being captain of the football team will continue to evidence leadership capability for men, while any job that women have held outside of work—being president of their hockey team or founder of a nonprofit—will be seen as less-than-leadership.

#7. That the strong female leader/“wicked witch” stereotype will never go away.

#6. That myths and falsehoods, such as “women are more than half the labor force” or “women get paid more than men,” will continue to spread.

#5. That “analysis paralysis,” the belief that more data are needed before real workplace change can begin, will retain its lock on the workplace.

#4. That the gender pay gap widens and, like in a nightmare, no one will seem to notice or care.

#3. That organizations will continue to promote men based on their potential for leadership, while insisting that women show proof of performance before being considered.

#2. That silly and misleading phrases such as “mancession,” “mengagement” and “woman up!” will continue to poison our lexicon.

#1: That the mantra, “We’ve already got one woman,” will haunt boards, C-suites and executive ranks for decades.

Last week, I wrote about Catalystos—guys who are not afraid to stand up against gender inequity. These men are active role models and partners in our challenge to stamp out sexist stereotypes, ingrained biases and the barriers holding women back from leadership.

With a view to amplifying their voices, I asked some of the men of Catalyst to tell me why they support our mission. Some appeared in my previous post; here are more. These men are part of the solution. Please help me spread their inspiring message far and wide.

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Josh, Member Relations:

I have seen the effects that a glass ceiling can have on a woman’s career and even her own self-confidence. This was the case with my mother, and the story of my “a-ha” moment. My mother has had, in my eyes, a very successful career in the financial industry, yet she doesn’t think so. The company she worked for (which will remain unnamed) passed her over for promotions into the executive level time and time again, despite her obtaining an M.B.A. and consistently excellent performance reviews.

Her company, for some reason, gave her a job level that was rarely used between the most senior directorship and VP, but would not give her what she coveted – that VP title. It is upon reflecting back at her struggle that I realize it wasn’t an issue of her not being qualified, and to be fair, I don’t think it was outright discrimination. I think as a working mother, she never joined “the boys” at the bar or on the golf course. She came home to spend time with her family. It wasn’t that she didn’t do a good job, it was that she had far fewer opportunities to connect with the right people.

The experience my mother went through in the corporate world, as well as my own awareness of discrimination as a gay man, led to my studies in gender and sexual diversity and the development of a real sense of social justice and a drive to fight for equality. I decided long ago that I needed to contribute to something positive and feel as though I am making a difference.

Thomas, Member Services:

I’ve been interested in the topic of gender since sociology courses in undergrad—it wasn’t just the classes that affected me, though. My time at college coincided with eye-opening experiences involving race, life, gender and sexuality. Things I wasn’t prepared for coming from a corn-fed, Midwestern background. Anyway, I remember when we first began talking about the global implications of patriarchy in class—in patriarchy, no one wins, not even men. Understanding the shades of inequity helped me understand that while the system we live in may benefit some, it comes at a cost to everyone.

When it comes to women in business, it seems as if the workplace is one of the most important places to deconstruct patriarchy. When women have increased economic power, many of the other realms of patriarchy can come crashing down, too.

Brian, Marketing:

I care about opportunities for women and work because my mom was actually fired from her job teaching in the early 1970s in Boston for getting pregnant! That’s right, the policy in the Dorchester School District at the time was that pregnant women were not allowed to teach. After my parents were married and my mother was pregnant with my older sister, she tried to hide it from the school principal. But after five months, it was obvious she was pregnant, and the principal pulled her aside—and fired her on the spot. She never worked in education again. I hope to prevent discrimination along these lines for others.

On a bigger level, I really believe in the concept that if you invest in women, you invest in a better world. A woman with an education can teach her children important skills. And she can open a business. That business can bring in more money for her family, and it can improve everyone’s health. The growing business can hire more people and help them financially, too. In turn, this improves a local economy, and the wider economy as well. The more visible women become in business, the more others will follow. And the more everyone’s life can improve.

What are men so afraid of?

Seventy-four percent of the men we interviewed in our recent series, Engaging Men in Gender Initiatives, identified fear as a barrier to supporting gender equality.

Some feared equality could only come at the expense of men—the zero-sum myth I wrote about previously. Others feared that they would make mistakes—such as an inappropriate comment—in the presence of women and open themselves up to criticism. Still others feared they would be made fun of by other men—be called “wimps” or “whipped.”

Perhaps the only thing men should really fear is better health, higher profit and more personal freedom. Not too scary after all, huh?

We know that companies with more women in senior positions and in the boardroom, on average, outperform those with fewer. And when the burden is off men to act macho or be the sole provider, everyone wins. They get more time with their kids and closer relationships with their partner or spouse, not to mention the freedom to define themselves according to their own values rather than traditional gender roles. And when men lose the macho “go it alone” attitude and share more with the people in their lives, they experience less stress and better mental and physical health.

So listen up, guys. Your job, health and freedom are at stake.