The Male Perspective: Young Men Discuss Women's Empowerment

Few would argue that women’s empowerment is changing everything from the way we conduct business in the board room to the way we manage our households. Since women are progressing in their careers at an unprecedented rate, often forming their own networks to combat what was once a male dominated workplace, we thought it was time to get a young male's point of view on women’s empowerment. Toni Cunningham, associate publisher for The Women’s Book, recently hosted a conversation with five Central Ohio young men.  Here are their thoughts about living and working in a world where many women are clearly empowered.

Featured guests:

Matthew Jolson, Associate, Jones Day (Columbus Office)

Marlott Lang, Audit Manager, JP Morgan Chase

Jay Johnson, Senior Financial Analyst, Bath & Body Works Division

Nick Torres, Community Organizer

Jayson Waits, Entrepreneur and Owner, The Success Group

Women’s empowerment is making its mark, both at home and in the workplace. How does this new mindset affect your personally, and how do you relate to these empowered women—both in your personal and professional lives?

Matthew: I still think we have a long way to go as far as women’s empowerment is concerned. Just look at the pay disparity between men and women in management—or at companies. Still, there’s been a lot of movement and definitely a lot of progress. I’m encouraged that the partner in charge of our office is a woman.

Marlott:A lot of it has to do with how you were raised. My mom has her master’s degree, and everybody in our family is highly educated. So this is not a new phenomenon for me. There are just more women doing it.

Jay:I would echo those same sentiments. It depends on your background and how you grew up. My mother has always been the breadwinner in our family.

Nick: I think this is something that affects different aspects of our culture. It’s been less than 100 years that women have been able to vote in our country, and now women are going to be voters in Saudi Arabia. I think there should always be an emphasis on including people from many different perspectives—not just women. There is greater power in including more folks at the table, regardless of gender, ethnicity and background. It’s important to enrich that atmosphere with different perspectives.

Jayson:For many years, females have had to fight to get to this point, and I think it’s great that women are kind of taking over. I think women now achieve 52 percent of all professional degrees.

Some women are more driven than men and feel like they have to control the environment because they may not be treated fairly if they don’t. How do you manage really aggressive women like that?  

Matthew: I think that sometimes if a woman is aggressive in the workplace, she gets called the “b” word. If a dude is aggressive, he’s considered a “go-getter.”

Marlott:I would prefer a strong woman rather than one who is not enabled—someone who knows where they’re going and what they want. That’s what I was exposed to at an early age.

Jay: It all boils down to people and relationships. If you know that a person is driven, or even aggressive, you also know that it’s part of his or her personality. That’s when you have to ask yourself how you can channel that energy and funnel it into a positive.

Nick:I think we need to be more inclusive. I typically work in teams where we stress the collective, and we work together toward a common goal. So there’s no reason to be overly aggressive because we are all working for a common purpose.   

Jayson:Young women may be more aggressive before they have children because they know their career may suffer after their children are born.

Down the road, do you see a role reversal in terms of women in leadership? Do you think the “good ol’ boys clubs” will break up?

Matthew: It’s much easier to conduct business with a diverse group of people at the table. It’s just good to have different perspectives.

Marlott: I think that movement is happening right now. The good ol’ boy network still exists, but it’s breaking down. Women are a bigger presence now from the empowerment perspective.

Jay: I don’t see the good ol’ boy network being infiltrated or destroyed anytime soon. The ground rules have already been set.

Nick: It’s important to value the perspectives and insight of other people, then you can adapt your own perspectives. That’s when you realize that you don’t have all the answers. That’s when we grow as people, and that’s how we continue to improve our society. 

Jayson: Pepsi now has a female CEO, and she’s pushing for more health drinks like Sunkist and Gatorade. Now that’s a different perspective.

What is it like to be in relationships with these empowered women?

Matthew: Once again, it goes back to how we were raised. I had a strong mother with a strong personality. I wanted a wife who would be able to challenge me.

Marlott:To a certain degree, women have a lot more on their plate that they have to deal with than men do. Women have a lot to juggle—husband, job, kids, bosses.

Jay: I think it’s better for the relationship if the woman is empowered. If she’s not, then the relationship consumes itself because you are always around each other. There are no other outlets. It’s just you and her. When the woman is empowered, it takes some of the pressure off the relationship.

Nick:What about focusing on trying to raise strong daughters? As a man, how do you concentrate on wanting to raise strong daughters so that maybe they grow up to be CEOs 20 years from now?

Jayson:My wife owns a flower shop, which seems to be a business that appeals more to women. But I give her my perspective on it as well, and that creates a unique dynamic for her business—and at home.    

This article appears in the Winter 2012 Collective for Women magazine, a publication of The Women’s Book that shares inspiration and resources.  View the full issue here. Visit www.thewomensbook.com to stay on top of what’s happening for and by women.