A leading figure in the insurance industry has called on men to vocally support diversity initiatives while asking women to welcome everybody into the conversation – regardless of gender.
“Male champions of change must be visible, vocal and involved in driving programs within their organisations which support inclusiveness and diversity,” says Tiana Iuvale, manager of broker solutions at CGU Insurance.
“Many organisations now have specific ‘champions of change’ programs and avenues to support the conversation and create real outcomes and I encourage all men to get actively involved.”
While many men are in support of greater diversity and inclusion across the industry, Iuvale says being a champion of change must go far beyond a token gesture.
“Male champions of change have to walk the talk in visible and meaningful ways to give other men the permission and confidence to participate and support at a ground level,” she says. “It takes a lot of bravery for a man to call out inappropriate comments or behaviour by his peers that once would have been quite acceptable.”
However, while men can bring about meaningful change by stepping up, Iuvale also says women have a role to play in garnering their support.
“Women need to remember to also include men into the conversation in constructive and meaningful ways,” she tells Insurance Business. “I think sometimes men feel left out of the conversation and would like to participate and lend their support more deeply but don’t know how.”
Inviting men into conversations, events and groups is likely to encourage contribution and enhance understanding of the challenges women face in this industry every day, says Iuvale.
“A lot of men don’t realise what it’s like to deal with unconscious bias as frequently as women do simply because they’ve never had to deal with it themselves,” she adds.
Of course, women aren’t the only ones who will benefit from a level playing field and Iuvale says men will reap the rewards if they help create an environment in which individuals are judged by actions and outcomes rather than their gender.
“For men, it means greater scope to bring their ‘whole self’ to their work and life,” she says. “When I was growing up, Dads were never home and missed out on so much family life, often regretting not spending more time with the people who really mattered.
“There was a sense of obligation that supporting a family was a ‘man’s job’ so I can imagine many men begrudged having to fill that space when they might have preferred to spend more time at home.”
Businesses, too, tend to reap the rewards when there is greater gender balance across all levels.
“It has been proven that companies with more women in leadership roles perform better financially and culturally,” says Iuvale. “If all it takes is some decisions to make workplaces more equitable, flexible and inclusive then why wouldn’t men embrace this? Why wouldn’t any business want to perform better?”
Tiana Iuvale will be joined by a cohort of other industry leaders at the upcoming Women in Insurance Summit in Sydney. There, she will lead an informative session on future proofing equality and becoming agents for change.
For a limited time only, Insurance Business readers are being offered Super Saver discounts to the event. More information can be found online.
