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Peter Watts: The #Metoo Debate: Moment or Movement?

Saturday's MeToo Rally was inspired by the recent #MeToo hashtag campaign. Nadia Stewart / Global News

The Angus Reid Institute has come out with a new study on the #MeToo debate.  Entitled “movement or moment,” the study finds that one in two women have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Perhaps surprisingly, it also finds that one in five young men feel they have been sexually harassed in the work place as well.

“Younger women tend to be among the strongest voices for change,” the Institute’s executive director, Sachi Kurl, told me.  “Men in the same age group are more permissive in their views about what is, and what is not, acceptable in the workplace.”

“Older men – who see many of those being accused in their peer group – tend to say social norms are changing too quickly, making it hard to know where to draw the line on behaviour.”

WATCH: British film industry releases guidelines to protect workers from workplace sexual misconduct

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British film industry releases guidelines to protect workers from workplace sexual misconduct

The survey shows that large majorities of both genders say the #MeToo discussions are long overdue and will have a positive impact on gender relations going forward.

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In the next generation, there is an opportunity for both genders to grow and mature in how to treat people.  The baby boomer generation which has both lived with, and, in some cases, been part of the problem, will be exiting the scene.  It will be up to younger generations to decide how they feel about the debate, and then set a good example.

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The willingness to do so will determine whether #MeToo is a movement to a better world, or just a moment in time in the world we live in today.

 

https://omny.fm/shows/alberta-morning-news/moment-or-movement

#Metoo: Moment or movement?

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