Let the CBI sexual misconduct allegations be a warning to British business
T he Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the UK’s most influential business lobbying group, has become embroiled in a firestorm of claims relating to incidents of gross sexual misconduct – even rape – first reported by the Guardian.
The allegations, though unproven at this point, are harrowing. They’re reminiscent of a time when corporate culture was defined by inequality and exploitation; an era when Mad Men – drunk on liquid lunches and bombastic self confidence – unapologetically lusted after their secretaries, and when out-and-out sex crimes were dismissed as just a bit of harmless fun by anyone who had a voice.
The headlines have plunged the CBI into its deepest crisis since it was formed by royal charter in 1965, and although the allegations are deeply disturbing, they aren’t entirely surprising given the sector they were made in. Rather, they remind us of previous incidents that have taught us that wherever there is money there is power. And where there is power, abuse – in some form – is frequently still rife.
Despite ostensible efforts by some of Britain’s biggest companies to create equal opportunities and appropriate representation for all genders and races within the workplace, businesses remain stubbornly skewed. They’re predominantly led by white men and blighted by the pay gap and the authority gap, in which women find it more difficult to be taken seriously at work. As a function of these chasms, troubling power dynamics allow for cultures of sexism and, in some cases, toxic masculinity to prevail.
At times it may seem like we’ve moved on. Surely, the #MeToo movement counted for something. Surely, we’re better than the generation that preceded us. Surely we’ve woken up. And then we’re corrected. Look no
Read more on theguardian.com
