Hackbright Academy

School in San Francisco, California

If men think that the way to address workplace sexual harassment is to avoid one-on-one time with female colleagues – including meetings, coffee breaks, and all the interactions that help us work together effectively – it will be a huge setback for women. Long before the #MeToo movement, a lack of mentorship from senior leaders was already a significant barrier for women in the workplace. New numbers indicate that this is getting worse: a recent survey by Lean In and SurveyMonkey revealed that almost half of male managers in the United States are now uncomfortable participating in basic activities with women. Senior men are 3.5 times more likely to hesitate to have a work dinner alone with a junior woman than with a junior man – and 5 times more likely to hesitate to travel for work alone with a woman.

This is a big problem, because it undoubtedly will decrease the opportunities women have at work. The last thing women need right now is even more isolation. Men vastly outnumber women as managers and senior leaders, so when they avoid, ice out, or exclude women, we pay the price.

Men who want to be on the right side of this issue shouldn’t avoid women. They should mentor them.

Today, LeanIn.Org is launching a campaign called #MentorHer. It urges men to step up and use their power to support women in the workplace, with research-backed information for why mentorship matters and tips for how to be an effective mentor to women. People with mentors are more likely to get promotions – yet women are less likely than men to be mentored, and women of color get the least support of all. If we’re going to change the power imbalance that enables so much sexual harassment in the first place, we need to ensure women get more mentorship and sponsorship, not less. That’s how we get the stretch assignments that lead to promotions. That’s how we build the networks that put us on the path to exciting opportunities. That’s how we get the respect – and recognition – we deserve.

As for the Pence rule – if you insist on following it, adopt a revised version. Don’t want to have dinner alone with a female colleague? Fine. But make access equal: no dinners alone with anyone. Breakfast or lunches for all. Or group dinners only, nothing one-on-one. Whatever you choose, treat women and men equally.

Right now, so many people are asking what they can do to make workplaces safer for women. That conversation is long overdue. We need to end sexual harassment in all its forms. We need to hold perpetrators accountable – and the enablers who make excuses or look the other way.

But that is not enough. We also need to focus on getting more women into positions of power. A more equal world would be a better world, with stronger companies, economies, and families. And yes, with less sexual harassment, which is less prevalent when women lead. This is the time for more mentorship, more sponsorship – and more men stepping up and working toward equality for everyone.

"Those traits sound more like what one gains as an English or theater major than as a programmer." - Cathy N. Davidson