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Survey: Men increasingly uncomfortable mentoring women following #MeToo

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An alarming number of men say they are still hesitant to commit to one-on-one time with women in the workplace following #MeToo, according to a new survey by LeanIn.org and SurveyMonkey.

As a result of #MeToo, more women than ever are coming forward to call out sexual harassment in the workplace, As a result, many men in the workplace are afraid of being accused of harassment. According to the survey, 60% of male managers say they are uncomfortable engaging in common workplace interactions with women, including mentoring, socializing and having one-on-one meetings — up 14 percentage points from last year.

Senior men are especially uncomfortable socializing with female colleagues. In 2018, only a third of male managers (34%) said they were uncomfortable socializing with a woman outside of work (like in a restaurant). In 2019, that number increased to nearly half of male managers (48%). 

One-third (34%) have actively taken steps to avoid having to interact with a female colleague outside of work, and men are also more unwilling to accept 1:1 meetings outside the office.

Perceptions of work are also shifting in the wake of #MeToo, according to the survey. Workers are seeing sexual harassment as being taken more seriously, and few believe the allegations are categorically false. 

SurveyMonkey and LeanIn.org polled 5,000 people for this survey. Read the full results online.

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