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More than half of professional women less likely to apply to firms with #MeToo allegations

October 15, 2018

Businesses may soon feel financial effects of the #MeToo movement in staffing and revenue, according to research released today by global business advisory firm FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN) and Washington, D.C.-based women’s leadership firm Mine the Gap.

Approximately 55% of the professional women surveyed said they are less likely to apply for a job and 49% are less likely to buy products or stock from a company with a public #MeToo allegation.

The survey also found 22% of senior-level women and 20% of senior-level men are concerned there could be an impending #MeToo incident at their organization. Senior-level women in technology and energy are concerned the most, at 33% and 31% respectively; among the senior-level men surveyed, those in technology and healthcare are the most concerned at 29% and 19% respectively.

The report also found 28% of professional women have experienced or witnessed unwanted physical contact in the workplace in the last year; and nearly one-fifth have personally experienced it. In the past year, 34% of women in technology, 29% of women in energy, 27% of women in legal, 26% of women in healthcare, and 25% of women in finance have experienced or witnessed unwanted physical contact at work.

Of the professional women surveyed who said they experienced or witnessed sexual harassment, 43% did not report the behavior while 57% did report. Of the professional men surveyed who said they experienced or witnessed it, 31% did not report, while 69% did — a 12% difference from women. Top reasons for both professional women and men for not reporting are concern for negative career impact, of being viewed as “difficult” and fear of retribution, though a significant gender gap exists for these answers.

“To stay competitive, companies must understand the different experiences women and men face daily at work. #MeToo dynamics, difficult office cultures and leadership imbalance all impact the success of the key industries we surveyed,” said Jessica Grounds, co-founder of Mine the Gap. “Awareness is the first step to addressing these challenges.”

The online survey was administered over the summer of 2018. It polled 4,764 professional women, with an additional sample of 1,030 professional men, in the industries of technology, finance, legal, energy and healthcare.