Workshop 3
Tracks
Stream C
| Thursday, October 29, 2026 |
| 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM |
Overview
Engaging Male Leaders in Gender Equity: Identity, Loss, and Culture Change | 2 hours
Presenter
Ms Frances Feenstra
Hoop Consulting
Engaging Male Leaders in Gender Equity: Identity, Loss, and Culture Change
9:00 AM - 11:00 AMAbstract
With rising engagement in manosphere narratives (68% of young Australian men report engaging with men/masculinity influencers; Fisher et al., 2025) and growing beliefs that gender equality has ‘gone too far’ (27.8% of Australian men believe the state of gender equality has ‘gone too far’; Biddle & Sheppard, 2025), alongside increasing workplace complexity and geopolitical uncertainty, it is becoming increasingly difficult for organisations to sustain focus on workplace gender equity. Rebuilding momentum requires moving beyond relying only on HR and DEI functions and positioning gender equity as a broader culture and leadership challenge.
A critical and often under-addressed lever in this work is the role of male leaders. Given their disproportionate representation in positions of formal authority, male leaders hold significant power and influence over organisational priorities, decision-making, and everyday culture. Leadership behaviour shapes how change is experienced and whether it is embedded, particularly through its influence on organisational identification, norms, and priorities (Aitken & von Treuer, 2021). Yet gender equity is still frequently positioned as peripheral to leadership practice, rather than as part of how leaders lead.
The adaptive leadership framework (Heifetz & Linsky, 2012) may be helpful here. This session moves from framing gender equity as a technical issue, i.e. solving a defined problem with existing expertise, to understanding it as an adaptive challenge, requiring new learning, shifts in identity, norms, and leadership behaviour. Drawing on research and applied organisational work, participants will examine why engaging male leaders is both critical and difficult. In particular, the session will explore how perceptions of loss, identity threat, and competing priorities shape engagement, often resulting in gender equity being de-prioritised or treated as discretionary work.
Through applied examples and interactive discussion, the session will bring to life practical strategies to engage male leaders in ways that shift behaviour, embed accountability, and support sustained culture change.
A critical and often under-addressed lever in this work is the role of male leaders. Given their disproportionate representation in positions of formal authority, male leaders hold significant power and influence over organisational priorities, decision-making, and everyday culture. Leadership behaviour shapes how change is experienced and whether it is embedded, particularly through its influence on organisational identification, norms, and priorities (Aitken & von Treuer, 2021). Yet gender equity is still frequently positioned as peripheral to leadership practice, rather than as part of how leaders lead.
The adaptive leadership framework (Heifetz & Linsky, 2012) may be helpful here. This session moves from framing gender equity as a technical issue, i.e. solving a defined problem with existing expertise, to understanding it as an adaptive challenge, requiring new learning, shifts in identity, norms, and leadership behaviour. Drawing on research and applied organisational work, participants will examine why engaging male leaders is both critical and difficult. In particular, the session will explore how perceptions of loss, identity threat, and competing priorities shape engagement, often resulting in gender equity being de-prioritised or treated as discretionary work.
Through applied examples and interactive discussion, the session will bring to life practical strategies to engage male leaders in ways that shift behaviour, embed accountability, and support sustained culture change.
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Frances is an Organisational Psychologist with more than 25 years’ experience, she is a Director of Hoop Consulting, and an associate Director of People Measures, firms focused on leadership development. She has held university appointments as well as senior positions with PwC and Right Management. At PwC, she was the main driver behind Symmetry, an initiative to connect, inspire and empower the firm’s female leaders. Frances was a founder and inaugural Chair of The 100% Project until 2014 and a member of the Research Committee until 2025. She chaired the Advisory Board for the Australian Centre for Research into Employment and Work (ACREW) at Monash University, and was a supervisor and examiner for postgraduate research students at Deakin University (Victoria) until 2024. She is currently the Deputy Chair of the Board of Moonah House, a refuge for women and children fleeing domestic and family violence on the Mornington Peninsula.
Ms Elena Carter
Consultant
People Measures/The 100% Project
Engaging Male Leaders in Gender Equity: Identity, Loss, and Culture Change
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM.....
Elena is a Organisational Psychology Registrar with a Master’s in Organisational Psychology and a consultant at People Measures. Elena is passionate about diversity and inclusion and how leadership behaviours and organisational systems can create more equitable workplaces. Her Masters thesis explored interventions to reduce sexism and increase gender-inclusive workplace behaviours. At People Measures Elena is actively involved in the design of the firm’s WILD (Women in Leadership Development), MAIL (Men Actioning inclusive Leadership) and LIFT (Leading Inclusive Futures Together) programs. Elena also contributes to advancing gender equity in leadership as a volunteer Research Committee member for The 100% Project.
Mr Paul Starr
Director
People Measures
Engaging Male Leaders in Gender Equity: Identity, Loss, and Culture Change
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM.....
Paul is a director of People Measures, a medium sized firm of Organisational Psychologists and development experts. He has a Masters in Organisational Psychology and over the past 30 years has worked with numerous public and private sector clients in Australia, Europe and Asia. He is known for his deep expertise in leadership development, culture, assessment and talent. Paul has worked in senior internal roles as well as in consulting roles (SHL and Right Management) for several global organisations, for example he spent five years in senior HR roles at Amcor where he was responsible for organisation wide initiatives across 35,000 employees in 44 countries. He also worked as the General Manager HR, for Orora, an ASX Top100 company, and was Chair of the Orora Global Diversity Council. At People Measures, Paul is the lead male facilitator of MAIL (Men Actioning Inclusive Leadership).
