Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasts 'The Economist' for attributing increased celibacy among millennials to the #MeToo movement

Earlier this month, The Economist published an article with the provocative headline, “No Sex, Please, We’re Millennials.” The piece reported that 23% of Americans in the 18-29 age range reported having no sex in the last 12 months, attributing the decline to, among other things, the @MeToo movement — and The Economist has gotten an angry response from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The part of the article Ocasio-Cortez objects to is The Economist’s assertion that #MeToo has “empowered women while deepening male fears of harassment allegations.” The New York City congresswoman tweeted, “If you think your ‘celibacy’ is due to ‘female empowerment,’ maybe it’s because far too many people relied on the disempowerment + silence of women to not be ‘celibate’ in the first place.”

The Economist is reporting that “the portion of celibate men under 30 has nearly tripled since 2008” and that “the portion of celibate women under 30 only increased by 8%.” In addition to #MeToo, The Economist attributes the shift to “an over-reliance on technology and porn” — which “may have eroded young men’s interpersonal skills” — as well as millennials spending more time working in the aftermath of the Great Recession.