This autumn was a reminder that gender equity isn’t an abstract debate – it’s a real, pressing conversation that shapes young people’s lives and the way organisations lead.
In “An Emerging Divide: Young People’s Attitudes to Gender and the Challenges Facing Both Women and Men”, Lee Chambers – founder of Male Allies UK – joined academics and policy experts to dig into new research about how younger generations are thinking about gender, identity and opportunity.
The room included leading thinkers like former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and top social researchers, all wrestling with what these emerging attitudes mean for our workplaces and society. Only when we stop thinking of gender equity as a zero-sum game can we begin to understand the perception gaps, pressures, and possibilities for everyone.
King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership also welcomed the President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, in calling for the involvement of men and boys and courageous leadership to accelerate gender equity. Her message reinforced something we know at Male Allies UK: we need bold leadership, across genders, to shift systems – not just intentions.
What’s clear from both events is that gender equity isn’t a zero-sum game. When we listen to evidence, when men show up with humility and curiosity, and when we partner rather than push against each other, we unlock better outcomes for women, men and the next generation alike.
This is why male allyship matters – and why platforms like these, where hard questions meet practical insight, are so important. We’re on a mission to make workplaces in the UK fair and gender-equitable: contact us to get started or head to our homepage to find out more.