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This article examines men’s involvement in an institutional gender equity award scheme and how their self-concept as allies develops over time. It draws specifically on a subset of qualitative data from the four men participating in a study involving in-depth interviews with university staff involved in the self-assessment team of one Australian institution’s Science in Australia Gender Equality (SAGE) Athena SWAN pilot. Data related to the men’s experiences is the article’s focus. Key themes from the data include: 1) men’s motivations for engagement; 2) men’s self-understandings as ‘champions for change’ 3) the barriers/risks associated with male championship; and 4) men’s evolving perceptions and critiques of the male champions model. Findings show that men demonstrated personal growth and increased awareness through their participation in the pilot. Yet, their frustration with how equity and diversity was managed in their organisational context highlights pitfalls in the concept of a male ‘champion’. This article provides timely guidance for institutions seeking to engage allies in gender equity initiatives.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	women in STEMM, leadership, male allyship, Athena SWAN
Research Division:	Human Society
Research Group:	Sociology
Research Field:	Sociology of gender
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding knowledge in human society
UTAS Author:	Nash, M (Associate Professor Meredith Nash)
UTAS Author:	Grant, R (Dr Ruby Grant)
UTAS Author:	Moore, R (Dr Robyn Moore)
UTAS Author:	Winzenberg, T (Professor Tania Winzenberg)
ID Code:	143164
Year Published:	2021
Web of Science® Times Cited:	2
Deposited By:	Office of the School of Social Sciences
Deposited On:	2021-03-03
Last Modified:	2021-09-21
Downloads:	11 View Download Statistics