IWill MCW
Our Call to Action
Time alone will not bring equity. We must act to build an environment where all genders can thrive.
IWill MCW Fall 2021 Information
IWill MCW 2.0 was a campus-wide, pledge-based campaign that encouraged faculty, staff, and students to open meaningful dialogue to create shared language, understanding and positive action. The 10-day campaign electrified personal commitments to gender equity through daily communications that included a microlesson, an action step and resources to dig deeper.
As MCW continues to seek inclusive excellence, IWill commit to gender equity by helping MCW become a place where everyone feels seen, heard, supported, and valued.
John R. Raymond, Sr., MD. President and CEO, Medical College of Wisconsin
Campaign Participation
Nearly 865 pledges from faculty, staff, students, and community members!
72.9%
1.2%
25.7%
- 91% of respondents in the Follow Up Survey either agreed or strongly agreed the IWill campaigns improve gender equity at MCW.
- 88% of respondents in the Follow Up Survey either agreed or strongly agreed they have the power to create gender equity in their work environment.
The IWill MCW 2.0 campaign ran from September 20 to October 1. We encourage you to engage with it by reviewing the content from the ten days. Because this was an internal MCW campaign some links will be unavailable to the public.
If you would like to interact with future campaigns, please sign up for our monthly newsletter.
- Day One: What is Gender Equity (September 20, 2021)
- Day Two: Building Community (September 21, 2021)
- Day Three: Committing Microaffirmations (September 22, 2021)
- Day Four: Broadening Views of Gender (September 23, 2021)
- Day Five: Supporting Women in the Workplace (September 24, 2021)
- Day Six: Intersectionality (September 27, 2021)
- Day Seven: Supporting Parents (September 28, 2021)
- Day Eight: Supporting Women in the Military (September 29, 2021)
- Day Nine: Broadening Views of Sexuality (September 30, 2021)
- Day Ten: Keeping Women in Academic Medicine (October 1, 2021)
I think the IWill campaign has helped to raise visibility for the importance of gender equity and the role culture plays in promoting and sustaining an equitable work community. I think the IWill campaign also has shown how top-down and bottom-up approaches are both needed to make positive change happen.
Alicia Witten, Program Director, Office of the Senior Vice President for Strategic Academic Partnerships, Kern National Network for Caring and Character in Medicine
IWill has both educated me and equipped me to improve gender equity. I know we have made a difference in our little corner of MCW, and I hope your work will continue as this must be a sustained effort.
Ryan Spellecy, PhD, Ursula von der Ruhr Chair in Bioethics; Professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
IWill MCW Fall 2019 Information
What I pledge to you today is that we will move the needle... A conversation is not enough. It's time for action. It's time for change.
Joseph E. Kerschner, MD, Provost and Executive Vice President and Dean, School of Medicine | 2019 AAMC Leadership Summit
Initial Pledge Period Completed
Nearly 1,400 pledges from faculty, staff and students!
Five Pledge Themes
Participants had the opportunity to make their pledge public on MCW’s intranet; 53% of participants chose to share their pledge. The rest of the pledges were known to AWSM, but not shared.
Be a Workplace Ally – Support, Mentor and Sponsor Women
Top pledges
- IWill strive to become a positive role model for other women by speaking up in meetings, working on apologizing less, and acknowledging my own accomplishments.
Number of people making pledge: 271
- IWill become (or further my work as) a workplace ally.
Number of people making pledge: 117
Support all Parents – Increase Awareness of Maternal Bias
Top pledges
- IWill be aware of maternal bias and work to diminish it.
Number of people making pledge: 104
Mitigate Unconscious Bias – Respond to Microaggressions
Top pledges
- IWill learn to recognize microaggressions and adjust my approach to the people with whom I work.
Number of people making pledge: 120
Create Belonging – Support Inclusion and Affinity
Top pledges
- IWill show my support for all genders by attending at least one gender-related MCW event.
Number of people making pledge: 107
Creating a Sexual and Gender Harassment Free Environment – How You Can Help
Pledge Support and Follow Up | "Queen Bee" Pledge Resources Example
Pledge Example
IWill learn about common obstacles encountered by women leaders – such as likability bias and queen-bee perceptions – and consider whether these affect women leaders and potential women leaders around me.
Category: Be a Workplace Ally – Support, Mentor and Sponsor Women
Learn
Participants had access to linked resources that shared findings on what it’s like for women at the top.
Findings
- For women, likability and success are negatively correlated.
- Women are twice as likely as men to be mistaken for someone in a more junior position.
- If women speak authoritatively, they may be seen as “too aggressive.” But if they speak more meekly, they risk being underestimated.
Reflect
Participants were encouraged to schedule five minutes each week to reflect on what they learned, remain active in their participation and become more aware of the subtle biases that often go unnoticed.
Reflections
- Am I, and are the women around me, the best role models possible?
- Consider the leaders around you. Which behaviors are they embracing? What do you think of what they are doing?
- Does your opinion differ depending on the gender of the leader?
Act
Participants were asked to help women leaders be as successful as possible.
Questions
- How can you use what you have learned to support a woman leader?
- How can you support all leaders to diversify teams?
- If you hear a comment about a woman leader, can you provide perspective by sharing some of your knowledge?
IWill 2019 Findings
In the fall of 2019, we asked what each of us would do to be a force for gender equity. We exceeded our initial goal of 1,100 pledges. Additionally, an IWill MCW manuscript by Drs. Maurana, Raymond, Kerschner and Ellinas was published in 2021.
View our IWill MCW Initiative Initial Pledge Period Report (PDF)
Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, follow-up to the original campaign was delayed until May 2020. Of the 1400 original respondents, 781 responded to the follow up survey.
Contact Us
Learn more about IWill MCW.
Medical College of Wisconsin
8701 Watertown Plank Rd.
Milwaukee, WI 53226