On the left side of my work desk in my home office is a small red plaque with the words “The Future is Female.” My son’s teenage friends sometimes ask him why his father has that, and what the saying means. “I’m not sure,” he says. One day he’ll know.

With the ongoing systemic destruction of women’s rights both in the United States and abroad — the rollback of abortion rights, battles to limit access to contraception, fertility treatment, and health care for transgender women, the ongoing and exhausting fight for equal pay and workplace equality — male allyship is more important than ever.

It’s a topic that pops up frequently in conversations in business circles, especially with women business executives. Simply put, when men actively support and advocate for gender equality, we contribute to breaking down the social structures and norms that perpetuate inequality.

The May/June 2025 issue — on stands now and available by subscription —  marks Seattle magazine’s second annual “Trailblazing Women: Tales of Persistence and Progress” issue. In their own words, 10 successful women celebrate their successes, detail the hurdles they’ve had to overcome to succeed, and what needs to improve for women to reach their full potential.

As one of the women featured — Alesha Washington, president and CEO of the Seattle Foundation — writes: “We need genuine allyship from men. I benefit from a rich and nurturing community of women. … At the same time, some of my greatest professional accomplishments were the result of male allies who opened doors for me. More men need to step up in this way to help women succeed.”

There’s even a “Male Allyship Toolkit: A Resource for Building Inclusive Workspaces,” produced by the U.N. Women’s HeForShe Initiative. The organization’s 10th annual report, released last November, marks progress but also notes how much work remains to be done.

“Based on current trends, over 340 million women and girls will live in extreme poverty by 2030,” the report says. “Currently, over 5 million women or girls are killed every hour worldwide by someone in their own family. The backlash against gender equality has intensified, sometimes reversing women’s most fundamental rights.”

Two women I hired and promoted during my stints as editor at various publications went on to become editors-in-chief themselves. One is now a successful entrepreneur, while the other continues to lead her organization. In one of those cases, men in a corporate office thousands of miles away worked vigorously to dissuade me from promoting this woman from reporter to managing editor. There were even murmurs that I might want to consider firing her.

At the time, I had never heard of and couldn’t define the phrase “male allyship.” I admit being less concerned with gender and more concerned with the quality of work and potential to improve the product. I didn’t promote either of these people because they were women. They were simply the right people to help move the organization forward. It was pure meritocracy, the way it should be.

That’s not praiseworthy. It’s the way it’s supposed to work.