#MeToo movement leaves male managers uncomfortable mentoring women, study claims
Amid the ongoing #MeToo movement, a new study claims that 60 percent of male managers feel uncomfortable having an interaction with women at the workplace.
The joint study by LeanIn.Org and Survey Monkey asked 5,000 people if they feel safe at their workplace and discovered that men are “more hesitant to work one-on-one with women than ever.” Men said they're afraid of being labeled as a harasser at work.
60 percent of male managers say they are uncomfortable mentoring, socializing or having one-on-one chats with women. That number is 14 points higher than last year, the survey noted.
48 percent of male managers say they are uncomfortable interacting with women outside of work, up from 34 percent last year.
“The vast majority of managers and senior leaders are men. If they are reluctant even to meet one-on-one with women, there’s no way women can get an equal shot at proving themselves,” Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and founder of LeanIn.Org, said in a statement, according to People. “If you won’t sit down with a woman for a one-on-one meeting, then you’ve promoted your last woman," Sandberg continued.
The survey found that 68 percent of workers feel sexual harassment is being taken more seriously at their workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which was sparked in late 2017. However, women say they feel less safe at work than last year. 85 percent of the women surveyed say they feel safe, down from 91 percent last year.
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According to the study, 70 percent of employees think their company has addressed sexual harassment in the workplace and have taken some form of action. That number is up from 46 percent last year. Workers reported that they did not feel discouraged from talking to their coworkers by their workplace.
The #MeToo movement began after a number of prominent women and men came forward with their experiences of inappropriate behavior from people in powerful positions.