“Waiting for Them to Die or Retire”: The Role of Men Allies in Perpetuating Gender‐Washing in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Danielle Vegas Lewis

Gender, Work and Organization, 2026, vol. 33, issue 2, 610-623

Abstract: There are perhaps no disciplines more culpable of gender‐washing than STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). Despite formal efforts to increase the number of women in STEM across all levels of academia (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, and faculty), these disciplines not only remain dominated by men, but their cultures also continue to be hostile and unwelcoming to those who do not identify as men. This continued hegemony and the harmful STEM environments that are born out of men's dominance suggests that initiatives aimed at recruiting and retaining women into these disciplines may not be as effective as intended. Men's ally training programs are one such institutional effort that seek to increase the number of women faculty in STEM and generate more inclusive disciplinary cultures. However, data from this study with 26 men faculty, all of whom have engaged in some type of formal ally training program, demonstrates that this population can perpetuate hegemonic masculinity within their disciplines, despite an interest in, genuine care for, and formal education on how to advocate for their women colleagues. One way that men allies reify their dominance within STEM is a lack of willingness to coach their men colleagues who are most in need of education—those who articulate sexist ideas or create harmful environments for women—about the importance of gender equity. Results from this study underscore the ways in which men allies not only reify men's dominance within STEM, but also how and why the act of gender‐washing through the propagation and celebration of initiatives such as men ally training programs ultimately may hinder gender equity efforts.

Date: 2026
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