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Poison Profession?
How Toxic Masculinity Continues to Ruin Work for Women
We thought maybe it was wrapped up with the #metoo movement, that men could learn a few lessons and move on, grow, and de-toxify the workplace. Many did. Lots took those messages to heart and broadened their horizons, making room for women to feel much more comfortable at the office.
Then, of course, we moved out of the office and back into our homes to work. We started the culture of Zoom calls and at-home working, layoffs and reculturing our entire space. Stress reached an all-time high, and many of the things that worked before just simply…didn’t.
Martin Raymond, of The Future Laboratory, points out that traditionally “male” personality traits like confidence and competitiveness have in the past placed men as leaders. That same competitiveness, though, has to step aside and make way for the most valuable upcoming trait, emotional intelligence, which is a far more valuable skill for future workplaces.
Businesses have tried to ferret out toxic masculine behaviors, those that make women feel uneasy, whether sexual or just plain overbearing, more and more since the Weinstein debacle, but with mixed success.
The Kantar Inclusion Index, designed to examine business marketing and diversity practices surveyed almost 20,000 people in 14 countries, operating in…
