Women Are Being Punished For #MeToo According To A New Study

Women Are Being Punished For MeToo According To A New Study When it comes to sexual harassment, Vice President Mike Pence takes a very different tack from our Commander in Chief. Pence has said that he wont have dinner alone with a woman whos not his wife, and he also requests his wifes presence at any events where alcohol is present.While many are fans of this very traditional sense of propriety, this antiquated approach rests on several problematic assumptions (that men are incapable of respecting women, chief among them) and causes several more issues How might a woman on Pences staff be impacted if he meets one-on-one with all of his male direct reports, but refuses to do so with her?When the majority of corporate leaders are men, how can women receive proper mentorship if men decide they cant be alone with women? What happens if bosses invite their male staff members to happy hours and leave women out?In summary when men hold the power, finding excuses to create men-only spaces puts women at an inherent disadvantage.In the wake of the MeToo Movement, several prominent men on Wall Street said they were taking a leaf out of Mike Pences book and avoiding time alone with women for fear that theyd be accused of sexual harassment (effectively punishing women for speaking up, and demonstrating that they were more concerned with being accused of sexual harassment than actually doing anything to stop sexual harassment). Now, a recent study from the University of Houston has shown that the Pence Effect goes well beyond Wall Street. Men in a number of different industries are avoiding women at work, effectively swapping sexual harassment for sexual discrimination.Study ResultsThe University of Houston study found that in the wake of the MeToo movement, men are much more hesitant to interact with their female colleagues. In early 2018, the researchers conducted a survey about sexual harassment in the workplace to ascertain men and womens attitudes about what constitut es sexual harassment, and the impact they thought the MeToo movement would have on the incidence of harassment and behavior at work. They then surveyed another group of people in 2019 to see how accurate the 2018 predictions had been, and the backlash was even greater than expected19% of men said they were reluctant to hire attractive women21% of men said they were reluctant to hire women for jobs involving close interpersonal interactions with men (jobs involving travel, say)27% of men said they avoided one-on-one meetings with female colleagues-------Are women being unfairly punished for MeToo? What do you think we should do about it? Tell us what you think in the comments. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is al so actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive innovation and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are i ncreasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next tischset of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehamm er (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.