Q. Can men and people not identifying as a woman join and participate in the AWE network? How can they become better allies for women’s advocacy in emergencies and disaster resilience?
A. Membership of AWE is open to everybody who plays a role in emergencies and disaster resilience. This includes women (inclusive of cis, trans and non-binary) of all backgrounds and abilities, and importantly, men as allies of women.
Men still dominate and hold a majority of leadership positions across the sectors working in disasters. By joining the AWE network and participating in our activities, men can help listen, support and amplify women’s voices, and can be better allies for women working, learning and volunteering in emergencies and disaster resilience. Men can also help support the values and aims of AWE, including promoting collaboration and intersectional gender equity in emergency management and disaster resilience.
It’s important for men to reflect on their own power and privilege as a man – being an effective ally starts with self-awareness. By supporting women’s organisations like AWE and other women’s organisations that fight for women’s rights, men can actively listen to women’s perspectives and take on the role of educating other men in a way that inspires trust and respect.
AWE aims to promote and amplify the voices and experiences of women in their intersectional experiences, working, volunteering, studying or experiencing disasters, and we need all the support we can get. We very much welcome the support of men as allies – as members and as participants in all our activities.
We’ll be exploring this topic in depth at our Allies of AWE Q&A on 18 April – register here to attend
