n LEADERSHIP
SEXISM IS NOT EXTINCT
What it looks like and how to respond
BY Jessica Kriegel
“I DON’T THINK WOMEN HAVE TO
DEAL WITH OVERT SEXISM IN THE
WORKPLACE ANYMORE.” My very kind
male friend said those words a week pri-
or to my writing this, as I was trying to
pick a topic for this column. It occurred
to me that many people may share his
view that the age of overt sexism is over.
Perhaps they believe that the Mad Men-
esque days of Don Draper-types telling
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their secretaries to go get the rolling pin
ended years ago.
My friend continued to opine that
while bias and sexism may still exist, it
is now either covert or consciously sup-
pressed, because of the fallout from
the #MeToo movement. The reverbera-
tions of the #MeToo movement rippled
throughout all aspects of life, and were
particularly felt in the corporate world.
Many of the executives that I coach con-
fided their sense of trepidation as they
examined any possible misstep in the
changing landscape of business as no
longer usual.
One leader, for example, told me he
was afraid he might make a harmless
comment that could be misinterpreted as
harassment. He described feeling like he
was walking on eggshells whenever he in-