Institutional betrayal and the role of male allies in supporting women in higher education
In response to persistent gender inequality, institutions have been making commitments to gender diversity, equity and inclusion through funding, initiatives, and policy. However, when everyday institutional practices and social norms fail to protect women from inequity, women experience institutional betrayal. Using data from an open-ended survey of 202 faculty in male-dominated disciplines, we explore how male allies can engage in intentional action to interrupt gender injustice and buffer institutional betrayal and what consequences accrue to the male allies. Findings show that institutional betrayal occurs at four levels, and while at the first two, male allies buffer institutional betrayal of women with varying degrees of success, at the other two, male allies experience institutional betrayal themselves. As such, the opportunities and limits of male allyship as an avenue for driving structural change for gender equity are discussed.