Empowering Male Allyship: A Conversation with Rachel Cottom

00:04 - 10:10

• Sharmin Prince interviews Rachel Cottam, a gender allyship speaker and writer
• Rachel believes in men and women working together to create gender equity
• She created the Allies at work playbook and is collaborating with the Utah Women and Leadership Project to close the gender pay gap
• Rachel shares her journey from being a high school English teacher to working in tech and the importance of male allyship in the workplace
• She discusses the "tiara syndrome" and the need for women to advocate for themselves
• Sharmin shares her experience in the nonprofit sector and the difficulties of advocating for herself in a predominantly female environment

09:45 - 19:50

• The speaker has had to advocate for herself in a female-dominated space due to microaggressions and difficulties in the dynamics.
• She left her career to start a nonprofit due to the challenges she faced.
• Her understanding of feminism has evolved, especially after moving to a state with low gender equality rankings.
• She believes feminism should be intersectional and inclusive of all individuals, not just women.
• She recommends the book "We Should All Be Feminists" and emphasizes the importance of male allies in achieving gender equality.
• She believes that male allies may have misconceptions about the role of allyship and the need to take on all responsibilities.

19:43 - 29:49

• Male allies can make a difference by taking on more responsibilities at home and talking about their parenting duties at work
• They can counteract the motherhood penalty by normalizing their parenting responsibilities in the workplace
• Men in leadership positions can foster inclusivity by amplifying the voices of those who may not have the mic as often
• They can also address gender stereotypes in the workplace and share non-promotable tasks with women to free up their mental space for leadership opportunities

29:38 - 39:43

• Men can be allies to women by taking on non-promotable tasks, allowing women to lead
• Male allyship extends to other underrepresented groups
• Intersectionality involves creating a safe space for all unprotected groups to bring themselves to work
• Men can use their privilege to advocate for policy change that supports gender equality
• Building bridges and amplifying voices is key in using privilege to help those less privileged
• Acknowledging privilege and counting by identity can help build awareness and bridge gaps
• "Calling in" involves having respectful conversations, which is important in male allyship.

39:38 - 48:31

• Rachel Cottam discusses the importance of male allyship and the need for men to call out discriminatory behavior
• She envisions a future where men and women work together for gender equality
• She shares a personal experience of realizing the lack of diversity in a community meeting and the need to be more conscious of where she invests her time and resources
• The conversation emphasizes the importance of acknowledging privilege and the ongoing effort to be a better ally
• Rachel Cottam can be contacted through LinkedIn and her website for further discussions and resources