Challenges and Benefits of Bringing a Partnership Lens to Allyship

Abstract

Male allyship offers a key opportunity for men to serve as partners in fostering women’s sense of inclusion and belonging. Yet male allyship research rarely takes on a partnership lens to study allyship from the perspectives of both men and women in allyship dyads. In recent research that took a partnership lens to study male allyship in male-dominated environments within academia, severe challenges arose in recruiting dyadic samples. In this article, I explore why women in male-dominated fields within academia may choose not to participate in dyadic research by reviewing personal communications by non-respondents. Content analysis of the personal communications (n=50) revealed five themes: Work Pressure and Lack of Time, Lack of Anonymity, Being Judged for Work Priorities, Absence of Collegiality, and Hostile Workplace. Of note, the work environment of women in male-dominated disciplines of academia may be more challenging than other types of organizations, precipitating low participation in dyadic research. Implications for taking a partnership lens to conduct allyship research with women in male-dominated disciplines within academia are discussed.