Why Should Men's Perspectives Be Included in Your DEIB Programming?
Lower engagement scores from White males on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) programmingare showing up in customer data with increasing frequency. Men, particularly White men, aren’t a historically marginalized group. But this data points to a real problem: DEIB strategies often launch without a clear “why” that resonates with all groups who are critical to their success.
One of us (Heather) noticed something similar while spotlighting men’s issues in a psychology course she was teaching during part-time work as an adjunct faculty member. There, a conversation about DEIB topics failed to elicit much participation from male students until the discussion was expanded to include men’s issues. One male student who eventually spoke up said he hadn’t done so previously because, being a man, he felt “the constant expectation to earn my place or make a contribution.” Since the prior topics weren’t specifically about men’s issues, he didn’t want to interject himself into the conversation, thereby “making it about me.”
With this in mind, we decided to write about the necessity of creating a space for men’s issues in DEIB programming, thus ensuring that everyone feels they have a place in the discourse. As we noted, for many companies men make up the largest segment of the workforce population. While they aren’t marginalized or underrepresented to the same extent as other groups, their experiences are important and their unique challenges should be highlighted to increase their overall DEIB engagement.
What workforce challenges are men facing?
Developed in 1989 by then-UCLA School of Law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, the concept of intersectionality describes the ways in which systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class, and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects. Analyzing men’s issues within such a framework can do more than simply increase male engagement; it can also help everyone better understand the systems of inequality that are leading to discrimination.
Although men continue to occupy the vast majority of private and public sector positions of authority throughout the world, the majority of men do not serve in these roles or exercise this degree of power. In fact, recent data shows that, in areas such as education and mortality, men are experiencing increasingly negative outcomes. Since the mid-1980s in the United States, women have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men — and the gap has widened in recent years, particularly during the pandemic, with U.S. colleges now enrolling six women for every four men.
Even before the pandemic, approximately 20% of men between their early 20s and early 60s, or roughly 20 million men, had left the labor force. That is three times the percentage in 1960, and worse than the depths of the recent Great Recession in the late 2000s. According to the Milken Institute Review’s “The Male Non-Working Class” survey, the U.S. had one of the lowest proportions of its 25- to 64-year-old men working or seeking work among all 38 highly industrialized countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in 2018 (participation rates for women have also declined, with only 57% of working-age women in the workforce — the lowest that rate has been since 1988).
Beyond excessive rates of illness and death impairing or preventing their participation in the workplace, working-age men also have high rates of disability, with about 20% of men ages 25 to 54 saying they are disabled. One recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that “deaths of despair” — deaths related to drug and alcohol use or suicide — rose for the entire United States between 1990 and 2017, with the deaths of White and Black men most responsible for that increase (in 2020, per CDC data, men were nearly 4 times more likely than women to die from suicide).
Another recent study of 1,602 men in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice found that men who need psychological services for a specific problem are less likely to seek them to the extent that they have negative attitudes about seeking psychological help and experience self-stigma regarding their need for such services.
Even body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a mental health condition involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance that is often associated with women, has prevalence rates nearly as high among men — and men may be underdiagnosed either due to the stigma associated with seeking psychological services for conditions like this or because of a lack of social awareness, as exemplified by the fact that many companies now market “body positivity” towards women while far fewer have targeted men.
The negative effects associated with these life outcomes impact not only the men suffering because of them but also the people with whom they live and work. There are ways to incorporate this understanding into organizational DEIB efforts.
How can organizations include men in the DEIB conversation?
Based on our own work, we have a number of recommendations for including men in DEIB efforts. Effective DEI training programs build inclusive culture for all employees, not just provide targeted support for traditionally marginalized groups. This is a critical point for organizations that lack diversity and need to gain buy-in and allyship among the entire population. Even while making space for men, DEIB programming must still hold space for those who experience more adversity. Other recommendations include:
Be clear about the expectations for your DEIB program, and communicate them at the beginning of training and during the onboarding period for new hires. Ensure that your good intentions don’t backfire. This means bearing in mind that DEIB programming must not risk being inadvertently exclusive of other groups by trying to be inclusive of historically marginalized groups, which is counterproductive to what a DEIB effort is trying to accomplish. Employees newly involved in DEIB efforts need clear expectations and goals from the start — communicated during onboarding and reinforced in training — so participation rates and engagement scores reflect the program's intent.
Give grace. Address the creation of safe spaces for all, so that no one involved in DEIB efforts feels as if they are “walking on eggshells.” Unconscious bias training, which helps individuals recognize their own implicit biases and adjust their behavior, can support this effort by giving all employees a shared framework for self-awareness. Additional resources for further education, such as self-service through the learning management system or the intranet, or direction to a dedicated person who can facilitate further discussion, also help. The most effective DEIB learning comes from employees who experience the issues being discussed firsthand — so equipping facilitators with structured scripts for respectful dialogue makes these exchanges more productive.
Train allies to be allies. Communicating best practices for allies can occur in one of two ways:
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): If the organization has an ERG program in place, using it to train allies could drive accountability and commitment. The list of people who sign up can then be shared with the whole group, enabling outreach and further learning. An ERG offers a good opportunity to practice the use of non-binary pronouns and other inclusivity exercises, such as scripts intended to drive dialogue.
Individualized ally training: This should include dos and don’ts, instruction on how to respectfully ask questions, and ways to manage feelings of disagreement or other emotional reactions.
Remember, training alone won’t create desirable behavior changes if the organization's culture doesn’t allow for the expression of best practices learned in training. Ensure these types of behaviors are encouraged and celebrated in order to reinforce this culture in the organization.
How can listening accelerate DEIB progress for all?
A thoughtful listening strategy and action plan can reverse a DEIB deficit before it overwhelms the company culture. True inclusion means creating an environment where everyone feels respected, welcome, and that they belong. Finding ways to listen to and include groups like men is one component of that longerjourney.
Frequently asked questions
What does DEI training mean?
DEI training stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training. Many organizations add a "B" for Belonging, making it DEIB. These programs help employees and managers recognize bias, support colleagues from different backgrounds, and build a workplace where everyone feels they belong. Common formats include unconscious bias workshops, allyship training, and employee resource groups (ERGs).
Why do some employees push back against DEI training?
DEI programs can generate resistance when employees don't understand the goals or don't see themselves in the program's scope. Research shows lower DEIB engagement scores among some groups, particularly White men. When training is framed solely around historically marginalized groups without explaining how everyone fits in, other employees can feel sidelined. Communicating clear expectations at the start of training and acknowledging challenges faced by all groups reduces resistance and builds broader participation.
What are some examples of DEI training programs?
Common DEI training examples include:
Unconscious bias workshops that help employees identify hidden assumptions affecting hiring and team decisions
Allyship training that teaches specific behaviors for supporting colleagues from underrepresented groups, including dos and don'ts and how to ask respectful questions
Employee resource groups (ERGs) that create peer-led spaces for learning, dialogue, and accountability
New-hire DEI onboarding modules that set program expectations early
Self-service learning tools via a learning management system or company intranet for ongoing, on-demand education
When we studied DEIB across our customer base, three conditions separated the programs that worked from the ones that stalled. Employees had to feel valued as individuals, and their direct supervisor had to model the behavior. The climate of the immediate team then determined whether it held.
Why do some employees push back against DEI training?
DEI programs generate resistance when employees don't understand the goals or don't see themselves in the program's scope. Lower DEIB engagement scores show up among some groups, particularly White men. Framing accounts for part of that. When training is built entirely around historically marginalized groups without explaining how everyone fits in, other employees feel sidelined and disengage.
Psychological safety accounts for much of the rest. Our research on discussing difficult topics at work found that employees whose managers treat them with respect are six times more likely to work in a psychologically safe environment. Where that safety is missing, people stay quiet rather than risk saying the wrong thing, which means facilitators end up reading silence as agreement when it is closer to avoidance. Setting clear expectations at the start of training reduces that risk, as does naming the challenges faced by all groups.
How can organizations make DEI training more effective for men?
Start by explaining why the effort matters to everyone in the organization, including groups the program does not name directly. Men face real workplace challenges too. U.S. college enrollment now runs six women for every four men. Roughly 20 million working-age men have left the labor force. Men are nearly four times more likely than women to die from suicide.
Our own data points in the same direction. In our study of loneliness at work, men were twice as likely as women to say they felt "very" lonely on the job. Lonely workers were 1.5 times likelier to be disengaged and 4.5 times more likely to struggle with productivity. Naming these issues gives men a clear entry point into the conversation. Pair that with structured ally training, ERGs open to allies, and ongoing employee listening, so you can track whether engagement improves over time.
Do men disengage from DEIB programs, or do they participate more quietly?
Survey data can tell you which. The distinction changes what you do next. Compare three numbers for the group in question: favorability on DEIB items, response rate, and comment volume on open-ended questions. Low favorability paired with a healthy response rate means people are engaged and unhappy. That is a content and communication problem. A falling response rate means people have stopped participating, which is a trust problem and needs a different fix. Our guidance on analyzing DEIB survey data covers how to build the demographic cuts that make this comparison possible before the survey goes into the field.
What should organizations measure to know whether DEIB efforts reach every group?
Design the survey with the cuts you'll need already in mind, and combine attributed HRIS data with optional self-reported demographics so you capture the identities your own systems would otherwise miss. Involve legal and privacy teams early, so anonymity thresholds and regional regulations are settled before launch. Then look past the index score. A favorable overall DEIB score can hide a wide gap between two populations, and reporting results without checking who responded is one of the most common errors we see. Track favorability by group, participation by group, and movement over time on the items tied to belonging, fairness, and voice.
Do employee resource groups work for men?
They can, but structure matters more than the roster. We analyzed roughly 600,000 ERG member responses across 14 companies. Employees who are not in an ERG are 1.4 times more likely to report a lack of belonging. ERG members also report 18% more cross-functional connections and 22% stronger organizational commitment than non-members. Groups with 20% to 30% ally participation showed the strongest cross-cultural understanding scores, and allyship is the most common route men take into an existing group.
Some organizations also run groups built around caregiving, veterans' transitions, or men's health. Cadence predicts outcomes better than group type. ERGs that meet monthly with a structured agenda show about 25% higher belonging scores than quarterly groups. Alignment matters too. In 68% of organizations, ERGs operate with no formal connection to the broader inclusion strategy, which produces mixed messaging and lower turnout across both.
How does psychological safety affect whether men speak up in DEIB sessions?
It determines whether people say what they think or what they think is expected of them. Employees who can raise a work disagreement without consequence are more likely to dissent respectfully when the subject turns personal. Organizations where that safety exists also resolve conflicts faster. The reverse holds as well. Roughly 30% of employees stay silent rather than raise a concern, and employees who trust their manager are 2.5 times as likely to report high psychological safety. Facilitator training and ground rules set before the first session do more for participation than any curriculum change. So does a manager willing to ask the awkward question first.
Does this work still matter if our organization has retired the DEIB label?
The label and the outcome are separable, but the outcome still moves numbers leaders should track. Employees who don't feel they belong are 1.5 times as likely to be actively job seeking. They are also 1.8 times as likely to report that work stress cost them significant productivity in the past week. Committed employees are 2.5 times as likely to say they belong. The perception decays across the employee lifecycle as well. The share of employees who feel diversity is valued drops 25 percentage points between onboarding (88% favorable) and exit (63% favorable). Fairness in advancement, respect across levels, and a manager who listens stay measurable under any name. Our benchmark data on DEIB measurement shows organizations have kept measuring these sentiments even as terminology has shifted.
How should organizations address men's mental health at work?
Build it into existing support rather than launching a separate program that asks men to self-identify as struggling. Stigma is the barrier here. Requiring someone to raise a hand first works against the goal. Practical steps include virtual counseling options, protected time off to use them, and a plain statement that employees won't be penalized for taking it. Employee listening helps because it detects strain at the team level without asking anyone to volunteer a diagnosis. Manager behavior carries much of the load too. Employees who feel appreciated at work are more than twice as likely to report no loneliness at all.
What are the most common mistakes organizations make when broadening DEIB participation?
Four patterns show up repeatedly. The first is treating training as the whole program, which leaves behavior unchanged once the session ends. The second is building strategy without input from the people it affects, including the groups you want to bring into the conversation. The third is celebrating a favorable index score without checking which populations responded. The fourth is running programs that never connect to a business outcome, so they become the first line cut in a tight budget year. Consult established ERGs, run structured listening events, and gather feedback from specific groups before the plan is final.
How can Perceptyx help you measure inclusion across every group in your workforce?
Perceptyx measures belonging, fairness, and voice across every demographic segment in your workforce. We identify where perception gaps exist between groups and connect those gaps to retention and engagement outcomes. Coaching and nudges delivered in the flow of work then reinforce inclusive manager behaviors.
Ready to build a culture where every employee has a place in the conversation? Download our DEIB Guidebook for research-backed strategies and practical metrics, then schedule a meeting with a member of our team.