Workers changed their behaviors after #MeToo but not necessarily toward gender equity, a new survey says
Men and women are talking about sexual harassment in the workplace in the post-#MeToo era. But that doesn't mean office conditions have moved toward gender equality, according to the results of a new survey.
Tempo Milwaukee surveyed 280 women and 103 men for its 2019 report released Thursday. Tempo Milwaukee is a membership business networking group for women who hold CEO, executive and leadership positions in the region.
Most survey respondents said the #MeToo movement has had unintended consequences. More than 60 percent of women and 50 percent of men in the survey said the movement has resulted in repercussions.
Tempo surveyed its own members and members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Professional Dimensions and Rotary Club of Milwaukee. The survey was also forwarded to people in members' networks — 82 of the respondents did not belong to any group. The opt-in sample from membership groups means conclusions cannot be drawn from the data set about workplaces around southeastern Wisconsin in general. The male sample, in particular, is too small for extrapolation.
The majority of men and women surveyed said the prevalence of sexual harassment in the workplace is the same or they are unsure after the movement. Nearly 50 percent of men and 36 percent of women surveyed said they believed sexual harassment was less prevalent than it was before #MeToo.
Just less than half of the men and women surveyed said they have adjusted their behaviors around the opposite sex to avoid what could be perceived as sexual harassment. Less than one-third of all respondents said their employer made a policy change after the movement began.
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Respondents said they had reconsidered their actions like hugging coworkers and commenting on their appearance. But it also sparked a paranoia among men that contributes to the unequal treatment of women in the workplace.
"I will not invite a female colleague to a meeting and drive in the same car," one male respondent wrote.
“Men I know, including myself, are less likely to engage in office banter and one on one mentoring with female co-workers and subordinates. Women are periodically excluded from lunches and other outside activities because men don't want to run the risk of something being misperceived,” another wrote.
Women who responded to the survey said they noticed the change in their male coworkers' actions.
“My industry is male-dominated. I’m the only female in a group of 25 plus men. Since #metoo I feel like I’m more likely now to get left out of invites, conversations, etc. mainly due to what I perceive as men feeling unsure and uneasy. So it’s easier for them to just not include me.”
Jennifer Dirks, president and CEO of Tempo, said the results show that more can be done to promote dialogue between the sexes.
The vast majority of men and women reported talking with someone about the movement. But men and women were least likely to discuss it with a coworker of the opposite sex.
One male respondent wrote:
“When it is important as ever for a person's sex to not even be a consideration in the workplace, the #MeToo movement has increased the divide of professional women vs. men rather than helping create one level playing field.”
Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Be MKE at jsonline.com/bemke.