The Changing Role of Masculinity and Its Impact on Leadership

Men’s roles are changing.

Society is evolving, and we’re all taking on roles that are largely different from those of our parents’ generation. 

In the workplace, there’s been a lot of discussion about the underrepresentation of women and marginalized groups, leading to backlash. Some men feel they’ve been overlooked, and many are feeling disengaged. 

Men have traditionally held influence in the workplace, a place they’ve often used as a haven from domestic life. Now, some feel they’re being passed over for career advancement in favor of women and underrepresented groups.  

In schools, boys feel they can’t speak their minds without being accused of sexism. This has led some to look up to individuals like Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed misogynist influencer. Has it all gone too far?  

The short answer is no. In order to effect systemic change, boundaries have to be pushed, and extremes have to be reached before a new normal can settle in.  

Consider the feminist movement and the lengths to which women went to eventually obtain the vote. The current danger is that division has been created when what we really need is unity. 

Fatigue has set in, and people, regardless of gender, are tired of constant diversity and inclusion “talk.” 

So, what needs to happen next? 

The Future of Leadership Equity (and Men’s Role in It)

At current rates of progression, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024 states that it will take 134 years before the gender gap closes. To close this gap, men need to evolve, and society must provide the necessary help and support. 

The workplace still functions as it did when first created hundreds of years ago—by men, for men, the “breadwinners,” who were typically supported by a “caregiver” partner at home. This model is obsolete when both men and women work and there is still a need for someone to manage domestic chores and caregiving, whether for children, elderly relatives, or both. 

The lack of affordable childcare is often cited as the main challenge impacting women’s career development. While undoubtedly a key issue, there is more complexity to this, as affordable and accessible childcare doesn’t completely solve the problem. 

Most parents want to actively parent their children. Few would prefer childcare providers to take on this role. Children benefit from spending time with their parents and, indeed, parents want to spend time with their children; otherwise, what is the point of having them? 

The workplace needs to adapt to present-day society by offering autonomous, flexible, or remote working and job-sharing opportunities, rethinking job design in the process. After all, timing is crucial for caregivers.  

Why must critical meetings and events take place early in the morning or late in the evening? What’s wrong with lunchtime? Simple changes like this can enable those with caregiving responsibilities to manage work and family commitments, as well as allow those with other obligations or living in remote areas to participate. 

It’s Time to Change the Way We Think About Work and Caregiving

Dual working couples and single parents are the norm, yet we continue to construct workplace expectations and cultures based on the traditional breadwinner and caregiver roles. It does not make sense. 

The only way we will reach gender equality in the workplace will be when women are no longer viewed as the weaker link—the ones who can’t work long hours, drop everything to travel, or attend late or early meetings; the ones who take maternity leave, work remotely, or shorten their hours to provide care and manage the home. This will change only if men do the same in equal numbers and employers normalize and support it. 

If both men and women take paternity and maternity leave (ideally shared as they see fit), work flexibly or reduced hours, and provide care to their children and families, then there’s no reason why both can’t be promoted and receive equal pay for equal roles, thus leveling the playing field. 

Some men do provide care for their children and have reduced their hours—and thus, their career prospects—as women have done for years. This is known as the motherhood and fatherhood penalty. We need to address this because talent is being lost from the leadership pipeline, and individuals are being written off due to their circumstances. 

It is time to move on from traditional stereotypes and redefine workplace cultures and leadership. 

Leadership Equity is Important for Men’s Mental Health Too

Masculinity is still defined as strong, steadfast, driven, and unemotional; as the breadwinners who work five days a week in an office and climb the career ladder. We need to reconsider what it means to be masculine in today’s world. 

With men’s mental health issues and suicide rates alarmingly high, it’s increasingly important to encourage boys to talk openly instead of bottling up emotions. Sharing feelings should be viewed as normal, not as a weakness. 

Men need to move away from the stereotype and unashamedly take paternity leave, form bonds with their children, care for relatives, and do their fair share of household tasks. In turn, employers must openly support their requests to work autonomously, flexibly, job share, or reduce their hours. 

This will even out the opportunities for women in the workplace and ensure that caregiving and domestic tasks are shared responsibilities. With the burden of domestic tasks lifted, women will have greater capacity and energy to advance their careers. 

The more men that engage in this, the more pressure there is on workplaces to operate differently. Promotions will be less likely to hinge on presenteeism or the ability to work long hours, travel, or attend after-work drinks. Importantly, non-parents must not be discriminated against by expecting them to work all hours; they must be afforded the same autonomy and flexibility. Otherwise, we will simply create the “Parenthood Penalty” with non-parents being prioritized for promotion. If we get it right, this shift will change the landscape for everyone and create equity across all kinds of workers. Critically, it also means that children will grow up spending quality time with and learning from their parents. 

It’s easy to forget that we are raising the next generation of parents and leaders, with consequences that will last long after we’ve retired from the workplace. New opportunities for leadership parity are not just a chance to improve men’s mental health; they also provide a means to safeguard our children’s mental well-being. 

Thom Dennis, CEO of Serenity in Leadership, comments that we need to: 

Create an environment where women are given agency and feel heard, and where men don’t feel pressure to conform to traditional ideals… Create and sustain policies such as paternity leave and flexible working arrangements that encourage work-life effectiveness among all employees regardless of gender. When used, these policies dispel beliefs that career advancement must come at the expense of personal and family life—one of the hallmarks of a combative culture. Set the tone by promoting organizational values centered on safety, respect, humanity, personal growth, and work-life flexibility rather than high ego, aggression, physical strength, and stamina (e.g., the ability to work long hours).

The Role of Workplace Flexibility in Achieving Parity in Leadership

If working from home is an option, it needs to be celebrated. This is progression, not regression.  

Earlier this year, the UK Telegraph article announcing that the “Top City law firm” Slaughter and May was going to “name and shame work from home shirkers” was absolutely shocking. How can we move forward if those who are given flexible working arrangements are treated as second-class citizens?  

This sentiment, unfortunately, isn’t isolated. The recent KPMG 2024 CEO Outlook reveals a hardening stance on returning to pre-pandemic work patterns. Surprisingly (and dishearteningly), 83% of CEOs now expect a full return to the office within three years, up from 64% in 2023. Even more concerning, 87% say they’re likely to reward office attendance with favorable assignments, raises, or promotions. Tech giant Amazon has even announced plans for a five-day office week from January 2025.

This is an example of the kind of workplace culture that we are looking to change. And there are other examples of this. These are organizations that can’t seem to grasp that for some people, working from home has finally provided real access to work, whether that be due to caring responsibilities, disability, neurodiversity, location, etc. 

The world needs to wake up and realize that working from home does not mean “shirking” your responsibilities; in fact, it is quite the opposite. 

Instead of deriding flexible, hybrid, remote, or part-time workers, male leaders need to loudly announce that they are leaving work to take their child to a sports event or doctor’s appointment, or that they work from home to do the school run or care for an elderly parent. They should be encouraged to do this rather than made to feel too embarrassed to even mention it.  

Both women and men need to refrain from judging men that parent out loud. It does not make a man less masculine to take responsibility for his own children. 

The World Needs Better Leaders and Better and Real Role Models

There are not enough senior role models of any gender openly caring and acting compassionately, in other words, being real models. It is time to unite and create a new workplace culture that is appropriate for the society in which we live today. 

If we get this right, we will build inclusive workplace cultures that naturally attract and retain diverse talent and provide equality of opportunity for all. 

About the Author

Eleri Dodsworth is a Partner at Stanton Chase London and serves as the Regional Leader for the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging practice group for the EMEA region. She also represents the firm on the AESC Diversity Leadership Council for Europe and Africa.   

Eleri is a passionate advocate for equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging. She strongly believes in helping her clients build diverse leadership teams, seeing diversity and inclusion as essential values that significantly impact business performance. Eleri specializes in placing leaders at the C-suite level, divisional directors, and non-executive directors in listed companies, as well as in private equity, family-owned, and privately owned businesses.