Rita Panahi: How #MeToo has betrayed working women
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, 60 per cent of male managers say they are now uncomfortable mentoring women, which is very bad news for professional women wanting to fast-track their careers, writes Rita Panahi.
Rita Panahi
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It’s difficult to imagine a more perverse outcome for the #MeToo movement than exacerbating the marginalisation of women in the workforce. But that’s precisely what is happening with 60 per cent of male managers admitting they are now uncomfortable mentoring women, according to research released last week by LeanIn.Org.
That’s a 32 per cent jump from the previous year and it’s terrible news for professional women wanting to fast-track their careers.
The trend of senior male managers reluctant to take part in one-on-one workplace activities with junior women is due partly to fears of how it “will look”.
There would, of course, also be fears of false claims of harassment or inadvertently causing offence.
Part of me wants to say, “suck it up, fellas, and do the right thing” but it’s hard to entirely dismiss the concerns of male managers who fear their words or actions could be misconstrued in our progressively hypersensitive and PC-obsessed work environments.
As for false accusations of sexual harassment, they may be rare but they exist and can destroy reputations, careers and lives.
It’s not only men whose livelihoods can be put in jeopardy by lies; women have long been victims of fake news. How many women have had their reputations sullied and prospects of career advancement damaged due to false rumours spread by misogynist colleagues?
So, though my first instinct is to tell senior men fearful of mentoring junior women to “toughen up, princess”, I can understand their fear that an innocuous interaction may lead to trouble down the road. Indeed, saying “toughen up, princess” would be triggering to some humourless feminists and could see you front the HR department.
Workplace harassment and ugly attitudes exist but the eagerness to paint all men as potential predators and all women as vulnerable potential victims in the #MeToo age has been damaging for both sexes.
US Vice President Mike Pence was widely mocked for his rule of never dining with women alone other than his wife. But the Pence rule is now being embraced by a worrying number of powerful men terrified of how their relationship with female colleagues will be perceived, with senior men six times more likely to hesitate to have a work dinner with a female colleague than male colleague.
According to the Lean.In Org research, senior-level men are 12 times more likely to avoid one-on-one interactions with junior women compared to junior men, and nine times more likely to hesitate to travel with a junior female than junior male.
For women who want to climb the corporate ladder, having a senior member of the organisation mentor you can be invaluable. Whether it’s a meal or on-the-job guidance, one-on-one interactions with senior staff are important for ambitious young women eager to network and further their careers.
“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,” said Lean.In Org founder and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg.
“Sixty per cent of male managers in the US are afraid to have a one-on-one meeting with a woman. If there’s a man out there who doesn’t want to have a work dinner with a woman, my message is simple: Don’t have one with a man. Group lunches for everyone. Make it explicit … make it equal.”
Sorry Ms Sandberg but we both know that ain’t going to happen.
The #MeToo era had the potential to be a force of good for women everywhere but sadly it was quickly hijacked by the worst elements of the modern feminist movement and it should surprise no one that it has resulted in making life harder for some professional women. We can condemn the predatory antics of powerful men without abandoning principles such as due process and the presumption of innocence.
And before we rail against men, let’s acknowledge some of their concerns are valid and a number of prominent women warned the “sisterhood” about the perils of embracing toxic gender wars.
Part of the blame lies with the grievance industry that misrepresents empowered women as mentally fragile ninnies who will wilt if called “love” or “dear” or if they, shock horror, receive a compliment about their hair. Groups like Our Watch and Male Champions of Change have created a false hysteria where an off-colour joke is equated with gendered violence.
Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins released a laughable report in 2017 on six types of “everyday sexism” which highlighted some truly trivial “offences”. The obsessive need to embrace victimhood is neither healthy nor helpful.
Gender theory warriors whose livelihood is dependent on fanning division and victimhood are doing a disservice to many women in the workforce who just want a fair go.
Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist
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