I know Im referring back to an incident that feels like it happened thousands of controversies ago, but its still worth a revisit. Remember when Mike Pence was crazy and strange for reportedly not wanting to eat dinner with a woman who wasnt his wife? Well, thanks to the New York Times, we now have data about the rest of America, and itturns out that vast numbers of men and women are wary of being alone with the opposite sex.

Heres Claire Cain Miller summing up the polling results:

Many men and women are wary of a range of one-on-one situations, the poll found. Around a quarter think private work meetings with colleagues of the opposite sex are inappropriate. Nearly two-thirds say people should take extra caution around members of the opposite sex at work. A majority of women, and nearly half of men, say its unacceptable to have dinner or drinks alone with someone of the opposite sex other than their spouse.

As one might expect, theres a sliding scale of acceptability, with most people endorsing private work meetings and most rejecting private dinners or drinks. Interestingly,for all the talk that discouraging one-on-onemeetings disadvantages women, they were more likely than men to disapprove of every category of private encounter.

As Millerstates, The results show the extent to which sex is an implicit part of our interactions. Yes indeed they do, but its not just because affairs, harassment, or other inappropriate conduct might occur. The resultsalso demonstratethe extent to which fear of rumors or of even potentially false claims colors human behavior. A single accusation can destroy a reputation and derail a career. Whynot keep your office door open? Why not conduct business more in professional settings than in the intimate confines of dinner or drinks?

In my twenty-plus years of job experience in multiple private-sector and public-sector contexts the influence of private dinners on professional advancement is vastly overstated. At the same time, Ive seen multiple sexual scandals derail the most promising of careers. Given this reality, caution isnt extremist or sexist. Its wise.

Read the original:
It Turns Out That Mike Pence Is Pretty Mainstream - National Review