Good intentions aren’t enough! A personal reflection on how men can be allies to gender equity

In March, there is often a wave of campaigns celebrating International Women's Day and Women's Month. Our social media timelines are filled with thoughtful reflections, powerful stories, and inspiring photos, often shared by women themselves.

These moments matter because recognition matters.

But I often find myself asking another question. What role do men play, not just during Women's Day, but throughout the entire conversation about gender equity?

For many, allyship has traditionally meant good intentions. Sending a "Happy Women's Day" message to colleagues and loved ones, for instance, or attending an event and expressing support. Yet, real progress requires something more.

Allyship is not simply about being supportive. It is about creating new opportunities and an environment where the women colleagues we work with feel like they truly belong. Ultimately, this also ensures better outcomes for the farmers we serve.

And that realization did not begin with a declaration. It began by listening.

When allyship became personal

The turning point for me came in 2020, when, at One Acre Fund, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged us to rethink how we serve farmers and how we work as a team. In the middle of the broader reflection, we had a delayed yet stark realisation: although a large percentage of the farmers we serve are women, most of our staff above particular job levels were men.

We recognized that addressing this required two things. First, a genuine mindset shift among leadership by acknowledging that this imbalance was not incidental, but a critical issue. Second, we needed to confront the structural and systemic barriers that actively prevented women from joining and rising through the ranks within the organization. We could not just say we wanted more women on our teams. We had to examine how our recruitment and promotion processes unintentionally excluded them, and how our work and workspaces affected their work experience; and in some places we were able to completely overhaul our approaches to remove some key barriers.

What happens when women can truly belong

I should start by saying that the hard work and progress we have had on gender equity so far has been driven by the incredible women leaders across our teams. They consistently brought both challenges and ideas forward and helped lead that change.

I have learned that part of allyship is knowing when not to get in their way by ensuring women have the space and authority to drive change themselves. This agency has driven the adoption of several impactful policies. For example, in our Malawi program, we have the Planting Partners program for women farmers, which supports mothers by providing contract labor to help with demanding farm tasks during pre and postnatal periods.