The National Women’s Law Center released a report last week outlining the progress the U.S. has made since the #MeToo movement went viral, entitled #MeToo Five Years Later: Progress & Pitfalls in State Workplace Anti-Harassment Laws.
The report shows that since the #MeToo movement:
– 22 states and the District of Columbia have passed 70+ workplace anti-harassment bills
– 9 states passed workplace anti-harassment legislation in 2022. By comparison, only about 3 states passed such reforms in 2017 (before the #MeToo movement)
– Most bills are passing with bipartisan support
– Both conservative and progressive states have passed workplace anti-harassment bills, but nearly 60% of states have been progressive, coastal states such as CA and NY
– Women of color, workers with disabilities and low-paid workers have not fully benefited from many of these reform efforts
It also shows that the top state policy trends include:
– 16 states limited or prohibited employers from requiring employees to sign nondisclosure agreements as a condition of employment or as part of a settlement agreement
– 13 states have implemented/strengthened anti-harassment training requirements for certain employers or required employer anti-harassment policies
– 10 states + D.C. expanded workplace harassment protections to more workers, including independent contractors, domestic workers, interns, volunteers, and/or employees of smaller employers
– 9 states extended the statute of limitations for filing a harassment or discrimination claim
Remember this movement was started by a black woman – Tarana Burke. Her powerful story is available at -> https://lnkd.in/gZ4Jyyh2
Also, check out the report from NWLC to learn ways on how to help end workplace discrimination and harassment -> https://lnkd.in/gYcGRUY6
