Male Allyship

At the Technical University of Munich, we value male allyship and encourage men to support gender equality and diversity initiatives

Male allyship refers to the active and supportive role that men can take in advocating for and promoting gender equality, typically in the context of supporting women's rights and challenging societal norms and behaviors that perpetuate sexism and gender discrimination. Male allies work to dismantle patriarchal structures and systems that disadvantage women and other marginalized genders, often by listening to and amplifying the voices of women, educating themselves and others about gender issues, and taking action to foster inclusivity and equity in various spheres of life, including the workplace, social settings, and personal relationships.

Male Allyship at TUM

At TUM, a few initiatives have highlighted efforts of male allyship. For example, the TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning offers a workshop on "Advocates and Allies: Male Allies for Gender Equality" within the Faculty@TUM program.

Moreover, in the “Introduction to Programming” lecture series held in Heilbronn and Garching, Prof. Dr. Stephan Krusche highlighted female perspectives in Computer Science education at TUM – male allyship par excellence! You can read about it here and here. 

What is more, the research focus group "He For She" seeks to establish a broad understanding of what is leading to men's engagement for the promotion of women in organizations with a special focus on hyper masculine fields (such as STEM). It consists of Anna Boyksen Fellow Prof. Ronit Kark (Bar-Ilan University and Exeter University) and her host Prof. Dr. Claudia Peus (TUM School of Management). The Focus Group also collaborates closely with Prof. Claudia Buengeler (Kiel University).

External resources

• "Allyship at Work" by LeanIn: This DEI training program teaches employees to recognize their privilege, and introduces them to over 50 research-backed steps they can take to show up as allies. Through thought-provoking, individual explorations and small group discussions, participants reflect on their own workplace experiences to develop a shared understanding of allyship.
• "9 Tipps für Male Allies" by Sheconomy
• "How to be a Male Ally? 12 Learnings" by Weconomy
• "5 Simple Ways to Be a Better Male Ally" by JP Morgan Chase

This page functions as a resource base for people who intend to support gender equality and diversity initiatives as a male ally or with regards to male allyship. It gets continuously updated. If you have more resources to be shared with us, please reach out via stabsstelle@chancengleichheit.tum.de