Women’s empowerment is an essential element of gender equality. However, gender equality is not just a ‘woman’s issue’. Gender equality and women’s rights are human rights issues that require men’s engagement and commitment in order to facilitate change in the power dynamics that currently sustain the imbalance.

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022 from the World Economic Forum, it will take over 265 years to close the gender economic gap. With a history of potential solutions that include women bearing all the responsibility to ‘fix themselves’ and be more like men, there is now an acknowledgment that systemic change is necessary.

The WEF report calls on leaders to “build more resilient and gender-equal economies by investing in inclusive workplaces, creating more equitable care systems, advancing women’s rise to leadership positions, applying a gender lens to reskilling and redeployment and embedding gender parity into the future of work.” With that recognition, there is a shift from women’s sole responsibility to adapt and change to fit the patriarchy to a shared responsibility and partnership that includes the men who hold power and influence. The call to action is for men to step up and become allies for women’s equality.

Jonas Muthoni is a role model for women’s advocacy and allyship. A media company owner and seasonal professional in digital marketing and public relations, Muthoni’s mission is to empower and elevate women in the business world by amplifying their voices and stories.

Read the full article on Forbes.com