Chapter 4: Men, Gender, and Second-Order Bias: A Reflection

Nearly a decade ago, I was approached by scholars at Catalyst to contribute blog posts to a new site called MARC (Men Advocating for Real Change). The vision for MARC was to serve as an online community that would empower and inspire more men to work toward building more inclusive workplaces. As a result of this work, I found myself exploring the dynamics of male resistance to both gender equity awareness and to the concrete change that can emerge from that awareness. As I reflected on the opportunity to contribute, I saw myself then—as I do now—as a man reasonably conscious and aware of gender dynamics and the persistent inequities that result from them. I was invested in studying the literature—and adding to it modestly—wherever I could. Moreover, I found myself both critical of men who blatantly exhibited biased behavior, whether conscious or unconscious. I embraced a strong commitment to supporting behavior change in these men whenever I could. What I failed to appreciate was the way in which the positive work I engaged in, including my writing for MARC, masked my persistent contribution to gender inequity. A decade’s worth of perspective leads me to offer this reflection on what I call second-order diversity bias, the patterns of thought and behavior in men that reinforce gender inequity after a man becomes “enlightened.” In the spirit of the invitation to contribute to this special volume on gender and work, I share my thinking on how I, as a cisgender man, make sense of my experiences and behaviors in a gendered world with the hope that my stories spark insight and conversation for anyone reading along.