#MeToo. Those were the two words that started a revolution.
One year on from the outpouring of profoundly personal stories about sexual harassment and violence, research has found that the movement prompted a major shift in people's attitude's towards harassment.
New research by the Fawcett Society, the UK's leading gender equality organisation, reveals that there's been a "significant shift in attitudes to sexual harassment." According to the study, 53 percent of people say that since #MeToo, attitudes about what's considered "acceptable" are different.
The research also found that young men are "more likely to challenge sexual harassment" since the #MeToo movement. 58 percent of young men say they're now "more likely to speak up against sexual harassment."
A year on since #MeToo went viral, over half of young people say they are now more likely to speak up against sexual harassment, incl. 58% of young men. Attitudes are shifting fast. Now it's time for tougher legislation and real, lasting culture change. https://t.co/ahy1zf6vpa
— Fawcett Society (@fawcettsociety) October 2, 2018
The largest shift in attitudes occurred among people aged between 18 and 24 and over half of them say they're more likely to challenge harassment post-#MeToo. The findings also showed that 50 percent of young people believe that our standards about "what is acceptable" has also altered.
Attitudes among older men are lagging behind, however. Per the research, a mere 16 percent of men of the age of 55 have talked to another man about sexual harassment — compared to 54 percent of young men.
“Older men have to be part of the change because they often hold positions of power. But their attitudes are lagging behind."
"This survey confirms that we have had a year of disruptive attitudinal and behavioural change and that was long overdue," Sam Smethers — Fawcett Society chief executive — said in a statement emailed to Mashable. "Other evidence shows we are also still seeing significant numbers of women being sexually harassed at work. Now it is time for tougher legislation and real, lasting culture change."
Smethers added that older men also need to play a part in the cultural shift because of the power they hold. "Older men have to be part of the change because they often hold positions of power. But their attitudes are lagging behind. They don’t seem to realise the #MeToo movement is also about them," Smethers continued.
Smethers added that section 40 of the Equality Act should be brought back, outlawing harassment from customers and clients. "We also need to go further and place a new duty on large employers to prevent discrimination and harassment. Employers have to take responsibility for their own workplace culture," she continued.
Sarah Green, co-director of End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the UK's justice system needs to catch up with the shift in attitudes. "We are a year on from the truly global explosion of #MeToo, first started by young black women who found people looked the other way when they called out sexual abuse," she said.
Now that people's attitudes are starting to change, it's time the legal system reflected those changes.