After the MeToo movement kicked off back in 2017, we saw several powerful men in the entertainment business be exposed as disgusting harassers of women.
But rather than the movement being a good opportunity for dudes to learn more about the harassment women face, it seems like guys in workplaces have only become even shittier.
According to a University of Houston study that was conducted across various industries involving both men and women in 2018 and 2019, the MeToo movement has basically caused men to become more reluctant to interact with female colleagues.
The 2018 survey found 15% of men were reluctant to hire women for jobs that required close interaction while the 2019 survey saw that number rise to 21%. When it comes to hiring “attractive” women, 19% of dudes say they’re reluctant to do so.
But the most telling statistic is a whopping 27% of men now use the “Mike Pence” method of interacting with people of the opposite sex at work – i.e avoiding one-on-one meetings with female colleagues completely.
Yep, nearly a third of dudes would rather hide in the bathroom than be alone with a woman at work.
It wasn’t men that were affected by this post-MeToo landscape. Women were found to be increasingly wary of hiring females, with more than 10% of men and women admitting that they’re less willing to hire an “attractive” woman.
The study also found a surprising amount of backlash as a result of the movement. While 74% of women said they’re more willing now to speak out against harassment, 22% of men and 44% of women predicted that men are now more likely to exclude women from social activities.
But here are the two most depressing statistics: 56% of women said they expect men to keep harassing them but would take more precautions against getting caught and 58% of men predicted that dudes would have greater fears of getting falsely accused.
Interestingly, the study found that both men and women have the same idea on what constitutes as harassment, which indicates that workplaces should focus less on identifying what is harassment and put more time towards training that educates employees about sexism and being, you know, a good person.
So all in all, it seems like men have learned all the wrong lessons after MeToo kicked off and instead of being better they’ve somehow become even worse.
Good grief, men. You had one job and you screwed it up. Be better, not worse. The bar has inexplicably been lowered even more so the only way is up from here. Hopefully.