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#MeToo sparked a defining chapter in gender relations and its seismic reverberations have been felt across the world. From protests about rape and murder in South Africa, to the Times Up Legal Defense Fund in America, discover the latest efforts to tackle sexual harassment and push for gender equality. Film supported by Mishcon de Reya Click here to subscribe to The Economist on YouTube: https://econ.st/2xvTKdy We're at a historic tipping point for women. In October 2017, the hashtag #metoo spread across the globe. What began as a Hollywood sexual assault scandal sparked a public reckoning around the world. Thousands of women are using two words on social media to identify themselves as survivors of sexual harassment and assault. New laws have been passed and powerful men have been forced to step down, face arrest and conviction. But now #metoo is igniting wider debate about the ability of legal systems to deliver justice, about how men should behave around women, and about the battle for gender equality. In South Africa the number of women killed by a partner or family member is 5x higher than the global average. Here, even a recent President, Jacob Zuma, has been accused of rape. The charges were dropped in court in 2006 but sexual and physical violence have continued to afflict all levels of society. In this country the police reported a 7.4% increase in all crimes against women in the last year alone. In Johannesburg Gigi White runs the charity Get Up Women. She helps victims of sexual violence whose cases have been dropped by the police. Nearly half of all rape cases reported to South African police do not result in an arrest. The number of women asking Gigi for help has increased since #metoo - yet she's worried there will be no lasting impact in South Africa unless there are more prosecutions. In America the #metoo movement is starting to have an impact on the justice system. Following the Harvey Weinstein scandal over 300 public figures have donated millions of dollars to the #timesup Legal Defense Fund. At these small unassuming headquarters in Washington DC giant steps are being taken. American women can apply to the fund for free legal support if they have been sexually harassed or assaulted at work. So far, there have been over 3,500 applications - mainly from women in low-wage industries. It's up to interns like Noah to field the rising number of calls. Some of the claims stretch back decades. Applications vetted here in Washington DC are passed to a network of 700 lawyers working across 48 states. The fund has already filed claims against McDonald's, the US Postal Service, and Walmart. They hope this will prompt other major organizations to change their own rules about sexual harassment. #Metoo has prompted some companies in the West to introduce new measures to deal with sexual harassment - but it has also provoked an all too predictable backlash. Some of the backlash is being fueled by the anxieties of men forced to think about their behavior in ways they've never had to before. Clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson is known for his controversial and extremely divisive views on gender. He's one of the most vocal critics of #metoo and its impact. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg is a leading supporter of #metoo. Even she is worried that some of the reverberations could prove counterproductive. Sandberg is a prominent advocate for gender equality in business and the founder of the women's empowerment foundation Lean In. In early 2018 a survey conducted by Lean In found that #metoo has had an adverse effect on gender relations. In New York, one pioneering company has come up with an innovative solution to improve relations between sexes in the workplace. Morgan Mercer is the founder of vantage point. Her company is exploiting the power of virtual reality to train men to see the world through woman's eyes. Large companies including Google and PwC have expressed interest in using this VR technology to train their workforces - as has the US Congress. It all points to an important shift. The global #metoo movement has helped expose a flaw at the heart of all societies and unleash powerful forces for change that might just kick-start efforts to fix it. What are the forces shaping how people live and work and how power is wielded in the modern age? NOW AND NEXT reveals the pressures, the plans and the likely tipping points for enduring global change. Understand what is really transforming the world today – and discover what may lie in store tomorrow. For more from Economist Films visit: http://films.economist.com/ Check out The Economist’s full video catalogue: http://econ.st/20IehQk Like The Economist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist/ Follow The Economist on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theeconomist Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeconomist/ Follow us on Medium: https://medium.com/@the_economist

Reality Bytes: The Future of AR/VR Is Now Featured Speakers: MARK ATKINSON, CEO, Mursion; DEREK BELCH, founder and CEO, Strivr; and MORGAN MERCER founder and CEO, Vantage Point VR Moderator: MARLI GUZZETTA, Executive Editor, Inc. Magazine If you think headset training is the future, you’re running a year behind. As corporations have scrambled to onboard and upskill their workforce during the pandemic, these mixed-reality founders have stepped in with solutions that will change how companies hire and train for good.

Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational technology conglomerate headquartered in San Jose, California, in the center of Silicon Valley.

Morgan Mercer spoke with @CNNGreece about the importance of using Virtual Reality as part of an educational program to reduce the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace. In the interview with journalist Christos Gavalas, Morgan discussed why decided to set up Vantage Point, an innovative VR training company to help corporations make their employees understand what harassment really feels like, not theoretically but completely practically.

Morgan Mercer shares details about her innovative VR startup and her strategies for fundraising, finding a mentor, and more. Morgan Mercer is the Founder of the immersive enterprise training company, Vantage Point. Vantage Point's immersive training platform leverages standalone Virtual Reality in conjunction with ML and AI, and offers training modules focused around Soft Skills development, including Workplace Harassment Training and Diversity and Inclusion Training. Vantage Point is one of only two-dozen black woman-run companies to receive VC funding over $1M. Morgan was also named one of the Top 10 Female Tech Innovators in history by TechRadar and was listed as the Top Female in Tech in Los Angeles. Topics Covered: 03:45 Introduction and impact of having a liberal mom and conservative dad 08:28 What Inspired her to create her VR diversity training startup 13:32 The difference between standard harassment training & Vantage Point 08:55 How she started her business with minimal savings 20:25 How your risk profile will impact entrepreneurship 24:40 How to drastically increase your industry knowledge and grow your network 26:19 Applying to accelerator programs and raising her first fundraising round 28:39 Her mentors and how she found them 33:50 Cold contacting people and techniques to get a response Part 2 (On lagoals.com) - How to adjust your business and mindset to the pandemic - Product market fit and adjusting to the market based on margins - How to lock in deals in the current economy - Highlighting the right value propositions when pitching - Mistakes Founders make and the alternate recommendation - Outsourcing and knowing when and why to do it - Top 3 tips for success To watch part 2 of this interview, visit: http://lagoals.com/podcast Morgan Mercer: https://twitter.com/TheMorganMercer https://www.instagram.com/themorganrmercer/ Vantage Point: https://www.instagram.com/try.vantagepoint/ https://twitter.com/vantagepointvr https://www.tryvantagepoint.com For continued motivation and help, join LA Goals on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamlagoals/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeamLAGoals Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lagoals Our private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LABizHelp/ About The LA Goals Podcast: The LA Goals Podcast is a bi-weekly podcast featuring successful and proven industry experts. The guests share their up and down journey, how they achieved their goals, reveal unique strategies to succeed, and answer listener questions. Hosted by Esi Magic, Founder of LA Goals, topics can range from secrets on how to get ahead, to silly experiences that guests share. Similar to Esi’s personality, the show is meant to touch on important advice for success, but with a light-hearted and fun atmosphere. Ultimately, viewers will end each episode feeling inspired, entertained, but most importantly be able to take away real answers on how to succeed. The podcast is released in video format on YouTube, as well as audio format on all major podcasting platforms (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iheartradio). #startups #diversity #fundraising