Why the Future of Leadership Depends on Gender Partnership

The author is CEO of the women's advancement and workplace inclusion nonprofit Catalyst. She discusses the need for male and female leaders to continue designing workplaces exhibiting gender equity. “Over time,” the author writes, “Catalyst's data made something clear: stalled progress was not a failure of women's ambition or capability. It was a failure of workplace design.” She also points out that “men are struggling at work, too. According to Catalyst research, more than 80% report feeling intense pressure to conform to outdated expectations at work: to appear always strong, always stoic, always competitive.” She describes what she calls “gender partnership,” and outlines a Catalyst construct called the “5 Bs of Gender Partnership.” In her words, they are (1) Begin With You (2) Break Down What's Not Working (3) Build Up What's in it For Men (4) Bridge the Gender Gaps (5) Bring Humanity to Work.