Nearly half of men ousted in ‘Me Too’ movement replaced by women

Almost half of the high-profile male figures ousted from powerful positions in business, government and the media and entertainment industries during the “Me Too” movement have been replaced by women, according to a New York Times analysis.

According to the Times’s analysis, at least 200 men have lost jobs or “major roles” after facing public allegations of sexual misconduct in the year since sexual assault allegations against disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein helped bring the “Me Too” movement to national prominence.

Of those men, about 122 were replaced and 53 of those replacements were women. 

{mosads}The Times analyzed the “Me Too” movement’s impact on politics, entertainment media and the news industry. According to the paper, at least 920 people were reportedly subjected to sexual misconduct by someone on the list.

Joan Williams, a law professor at the University of California, Hastings, told the Times that the data indicated that employers were beginning to view men as riskier hires than women.

“We’ve never seen something like this before,” she told the Times. “Women have always been seen as risky, because they might do something like have a baby. But men are now being seen as more risky hires.”

Tarana Burke, a founder of the “Me Too” movement, added in a statement to the Times that absent evidence of self-reflection and a change in behavior, the focus should not be on allowing those accused of sexual misconduct to re-enter the workplace.

“Where’s the self-reflection and accountability?” she asked the Times, noting that many on the list have not reached out to their victims to apologize for their actions.

“Perhaps if we saw some evidence of that, then we can have a more robust conversation about the road to redemption.”

Among women replacing men on the list is Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), who replaced former Sen. Al Franken (D) last year after Franken was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. Franken apologized for his behavior and resigned from the Senate in a speech on the Senate floor.

“I find it so interesting the number of people who come up to me and say, ‘Thank you for stepping in when someone needed to step in,’” Smith told the newspaper. “That’s a lot of what women do a lot of the time, right?”