2023 Theses Doctoral

Male Allyship from the Perspectives of Women in Technology (Tech.)

Kishore, Piya

This study explores male allyship, a growing trend in the Technology (Tech.) sector from the perspective of women who work or have worked in the industry. This qualitative case study consisted of a sample of ten women and ten self-identified male allies from the industry along with three men and four women who participated exclusively in a focus group discussion.

All twenty-seven participants had a standard criteria to qualify as volunteers for the study and were introduced to the same research questions in the interview protocol; 1] how do women identify male allies? 2] how do women learn from male allyship?, and 3] what attributes do male allies possess to be successful in supporting women from the women’s perspective? Findings show that women identified male allies unknowingly and in professional working environments, where male allyship became associated with helping women achieve transformative outcomes in their careers.

Bandura’s theory of reciprocal determinism was used as a framework to demonstrate how women are central to driving the learning from male allyship through self-directedness and by operating with agency in their organizational environment. Women described men taking an active stance on behalf of women and being allies in their existing professional responsibilities as the most successful attributes of being an ally. The study concluded with a recommendation to incorporate the study findings into an academic curriculum for men and women interested in practicing allyship in a cohort based academic setting. It also recommended organizations embed allyship in all business activities to help men become better allies to women. This study provides timely guidance for individuals and organizations seeking to engage male allies in gender equity initiatives.