The pursuit of gender equality in global health leadership is both a moral imperative and a practical necessity. Research shows that diverse leadership produces better health outcomes, more resilient teams, and more innovative solutions. Yet despite years of commitments, programs, and pledges, systemic barriers and cultural norms continue to perpetuate disparities between men and women in global health institutions. Women have been at the forefront of this fight for decades. But the simple truth is this: we cannot achieve equality without men. Men continue to hold the majority of senior decision-making roles and they direct resources, set policies, and shape institutional culture. Without their partnership, progress will remain slow.
Since 2022, WomenLift Health has held a series of conversations with our male colleagues in global health as part of our flagship leadership training program (the “Leadership Journey”). These conversations explored the complexity of male allyship in global health leadership.
We found that these men are neither archetypes of privilege nor are they flawless champions of equality. They are humans, navigating their own identities, fears, ambitions, and blind spots.
Through these courageous conversations, the following themes emerged, highlighting barriers and opportunities on our shared path forward.
Men Are Not a Monolith
A statement we often use at WomenLift Health is that “women are not a monolith.” What we don’t say as often is that men are not a monolith either. When we group men into a uniform category of privilege, we forget that they too bring diverse identities and lived experiences to the workplace. Language, culture, race, sexual orientation, and generational background all shape how men navigate professional environments. In North America, some men experience marginalization because they are not native English speakers. Others feel excluded because of their cultural or sexual identity. Many men juggle multiple cultural affiliations and reference the challenges of living the life of a “third culture” where they do not fully “fit in” any one space. Recognizing the diversity of our male colleagues is important and we must acknowledge their own intersectionality and how this impacts their own experience in the workplace.
Fear of Backlash Can Silence Allyship
Another theme that surfaced strongly in our conversations was fear. Many men want to support gender equality but fear retribution. They worry about saying the wrong thing, overstepping boundaries, or being seen as insincere. At the same time, they worried about being criticized by peers who see allyship as a weakness.
This risk breeds silence, which preserves the status quo.
As a result, potential male allies are left uncertain about how to act, and women are left without the solidarity we need. We must evolve our personal and work environments to be places where men can practice allyship openly. We must create safer spaces where there is room for mistakes, learning, and failing forward.
Allyship Needs to Start Early
Much of the conversation around male allyship focuses on men already in senior leadership positions. This is understandable because this is where you see the power, budget oversight, and institutional influence taking shape. But interventions must start earlier. In our conversations with women leaders around the world, some of the most dismissive behaviors and attitudes towards gender equality come from early career men. Eager to prove themselves and unrestricted by family obligations, some early career men see these issues as secondary to their career ambitions. When left unchecked, these patterns shape workplace cultures that undercut women. Waiting until men reach the higher levels to engage them is waiting too long.
Gender equality must be part of the foundation that shapes how young men enter the workforce and how they understand their role as colleagues.
Caregiving as a Form of Leadership
Caregiving emerged as another critical theme. In many institutions, policies and cultural norms still reinforce unequal expectations around the unpaid and unseen work that takes place at home. Women are assumed to shoulder the bulk of caregiving responsibilities while men have less incentive and institutional support to fully step into these roles. This imbalance disproportionately penalizes women for time away from work while men who want to participate more equally in caregiving often feel constrained by workplace norms, expectations, and policies. The result is a cycle that reinforces inequality both at home and in the workplace. Shifting this dynamic requires systemic change (e.g., equitable parental leave policies) and reframing caregiving as a shared responsibility and a form of leadership in itself.
Power Is Not a Zero-Sum Game
A striking lesson from these conversations is how deeply the myth of zero-sum leadership persists. Many men and women still assume that for women to gain influence, men must lose it. However, research shows that when power is shared, everyone stands to gain. Teams become more innovative, institutions become more agile, and decisions more tailored. Shifting from a competitive to an inclusive style of leadership is essential for building stronger global health institutions.
We Need Individual Action and Systemic Change
True allyship is not a single act. It must combine individual action and systemic change to drive real progress. In our conversations, we have heard accounts of actions men can take at the individual level which include by nominating them for high-visibility assignments, calling out biased remarks, and role modeling vulnerability. To supplement that, institutions must also step up by embedding equality into their organizational policies, accountability mechanisms, and leadership pipelines. This includes setting metrics for inclusive leadership, rewarding team members who elevate others, and holding managers accountable for creating equitable workplaces. As emphasized in WomenLift Health’s article on Transforming Global Health Institutions: The Role of Leadership in Achieving Gender Equality and Health for All, institutional transformation requires leaders to go beyond one-off gestures and embed gender equality into their systems and practices.
Male allyship at its best is therefore not just a personal commitment but a structural one.
Reframing Vulnerability and Kindness as Strengths
Vulnerability and kindness also emerged as leadership strengths. The men we spoke to often described moments in the workplace where their leadership was redefined not by dominance, but by the empathy and care they showed others. These reflections challenge traditional notions of leadership where decisiveness and authority have been equated with strength. In today’s divided world, what global health urgently needs is leadership grounded in humility, emotional intelligence, and trust. At WomenLift Health, we believe that vulnerability is a key force for connection and collaboration.
Allyship as a Shared Journey
The final theme is perhaps the most important: allyship is a journey we must take together. As our Leadership Journey suggests, transformative change is a process, not an event. And in this journey, men will make mistakes as they learn. Women may feel frustrated in helping to guide that process, but this collaborative effort is part of how lasting change takes root. There will be setbacks, resistance, and fatigue. Yet progress towards a more equitable world depends on our collective persistence. We cannot afford to leave half of our leadership talent untapped, nor can we afford to silo men and women in separate struggles.
Allyship between men and women must be viewed as shared, imperfect, and ongoing.
The work of equality is not about any single gesture or policy, but about building relationships, cultures, and institutions that reflect our shared values.
The Bottom Line
The road to gender equality in global health leadership is long, bumpy, and deeply exhausting. At the current pace, it may take us generations to achieve. But with men fully engaged as allies, advocates, and partners, we can cut that timeline dramatically. To move forward, we must:
- Recognize intersectionality: See people in their full complexity, not as monoliths.
- Create safe spaces: Normalize imperfection; encourage men to learn, ask questions, and practice allyship without fear.
- Engage men early: Don’t wait until they are in positions of power. Support early career men to adopt an inclusive mindset as part of their leadership foundation.
- Normalize caregiving: Value caregiving as leadership; men should be supported and encouraged to take paternity leave to shift professional norms and be present for their families; organizations should redesign policies to support shared responsibility at home.
- Share power: Avoid all-male panels (or “manels”) and nominate women for leadership roles and new opportunities.
- Embed equality and accountability into systems: Make gender equality part of performance evaluations, budgets, and organizational culture; build in mechanisms to track progress beyond female representation.
- Lead with vulnerability: Embrace kindness, humility, and empathy as core strengths of leadership.
- Mentor and sponsor across generations: Sponsor rising leaders with high-visibility assignments and experiment with reverse mentorship to challenge norms.
- Commit to the journey: Accept that allyship is ongoing, imperfect, and shared; men have a responsibility to keep learning and showing up as partners, and women should be encouraged and supported when offering feedback.
Conclusion
Global health faces urgent challenges that demand new approaches to leadership. Allyship is about building stronger, more just institutions where everyone can thrive together. It is about redefining leadership as the act of lifting others, embedding equality into our systems, and reshaping cultures through vulnerability. We cannot do this alone, and we need men’s solidarity, courage, and commitment. Together, we can create the culture of allyship that global health urgently needs.
Alistair Lindawson is the Program Lead, North America, at WomenLift Health and spearheads our work in the North America region, including the Leadership Journey.