Kristina Schröder, Germany's former minister for families, said she was concerned about the all-encompassing nature of the #MeToo debate and warned against the possible negative consequences of the campaign.
"I'm very disturbed by the fact that sexist remarks have been dragged into a debate on sexual violence," she said, cited by local.de. "This doesn't help those who are really affected."
Although the minister noted that she generally welcomes efforts to make society more sensitive to the issue of sexism, she believes the campaign might have certain side effects.
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"I see a risk at the moment that men, at least in the world of work, are going to carefully weigh up every word before they talk to a woman," she said.
Schröder also added she would rather "pay the price of people making stupid displays of courtship than to work in a completely sterile place where men and women walk on eggshells."
The #MeToo movement has spread all over the world since the October revelations of widespread sexual misconduct accusations against powerful film producer and executive Harvey Weinstein.
The hashtag #MeToo was started on Twitter to encourage women to publicize their experiences of sexual misconduct in an effort to demonstrate its widespread prevalence in today's society.
