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What’s Next for #MeToo?
Emily Martin, general counsel at the National Women’s Law Center, agreed. “When we were talking to state lawmakers a year ago, two years ago, three years ago…there wasn’t a lot of activity focused on sexual harassment,” she said. Over those years her organization had been asked to weigh in on such legislation in a single state. In the last year, it’s been in touch with lawmakers in somewhere between 25 and 30 states. “That’s not because has changed,” she noted. “It’s just a different level of energy and engagement that really is quite striking.” Laws are just laws, of course. Most people will feel change when it happens in the office, on a field, and on a factory floor—something a policy can push, but will also take other changes. On this, Martin is also optimistic about MeToo’s impact. “It’s brought more employers to the table to think about, ‘What does it take to really shift the culture of workplaces?’” she said.