Two Days, One Solution
It’s International Men’s Day on November 19th. And, as I know you all know, International Women’s Day is on the horizon again. I hope one day we will be able to cancel both - and it would only take one swipe to do it.
What really frustrates me is that, although these are different days and different genders with different issues, the same solution would solve most of the problems for both: Gender Equality.
We’re all very aware of how inequality holds women back, but maybe not so much about how damaging it is for men.
Many men would like to leverage flexible & hybrid work policies, maybe to spend more time with and do their share for their families, or maybe just to have a bit more flexibility & time for their own physical & mental well-being. But many men tell me that they dare not request this from their manager, because this would be met with raised eyebrows and questions about commitment to their career (because company policies are rarely gender neutral in practice, even if they are on paper).
Many men would like to fully leverage their company’s paternity leave policy to be a full on, proper father to their kids. But most Dads don’t do this, because they don’t feel confident they can leave their job temporarily (somehow ok for a woman, but not for a man) and they know they’ll be the butt of all their male colleagues jokes if they do. So they miss out on this, their children miss out on this, and their relationship with their partner misses out on this opportunity to be significantly stronger (in the short & long term) from the experience.
And... ALL men would benefit from a gender equal world where women are represented, including in leadership, as they should be. Not only would their company or organization be performing better (26% plus says the data), more importantly they would be living in a stronger, better society. Because equality brings diversity of insight, input & thinking, which brings stronger, more complete discussion, which leads to better decisions, strategies & plans.
Equality is better for everyone: men, women, all genders. So let’s talk about it on International Men’s Day, INWomen’s Day and ALL the days until we make it happen and we can cancel the days and get on with living our better, equal opportunity lives.