The data about rampant sexual harassment and gender discrimination of female doctors are confirmed by numerous studies.3 These incidents should be further divided by the settings in which they ...occurred because level of power differential in relations between supervising person and victim6 is much higher in training and academic settings than in medical office, and the average age of the victim is younger in training than in other settings.6 Research by the Pew Research Center7 supported several intuitive hypotheses important for analysis of the problem of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in general and in medicine in the USA. 66% of Americans, regardless of gender and political affiliation, attributed the allegations mainly to widespread problems in society, whereas just 28% of adults attributed them mainly to individual misconduct. 22% of employed women said they have been sexually harassed at work, 42% of employed women said they had experienced some form of gender discrimination at work, and 57% of women (and 42% of men) said the country had not gone far enough in giving women equal rights with men. 41% of women said men have it easier than women—a view shared by 28% of men. ...victims of harassment or discrimination use personal money to pay for legal representation, whereas institutions pay for defence of powerful offenders. ...victims of abuse and discrimination who come forward are often retaliated against.
Mistreatment is a common experience among surgical residents and is associated with burnout. Women have been found to experience mistreatment at higher rates than men. Further characterization of ...surgical residents' experiences with gender discrimination and sexual harassment may inform solutions.
To describe the types, sources, and factors associated with (1) discrimination based on gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation and (2) sexual harassment experienced by residents in general surgery programs across the US.
This cross-sectional national survey study was conducted after the 2019 American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE). The survey asked respondents about their experiences with gender discrimination and sexual harassment during the academic year starting July 1, 2018, through the testing date in January 2019. All clinical residents enrolled in general surgery programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education were eligible.
Specific types, sources, and factors associated with gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment.
Primary outcome was the prevalence of gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Secondary outcomes included sources of discrimination and harassment and associated individual- and program-level factors using gender-stratified multivariable logistic regression models.
The survey was administered to 8129 eligible residents; 6956 responded (85.6% response rate)from 301 general surgery programs. Of those, 6764 residents had gender data available (3968 58.7% were male and 2796 41.3% were female individuals). In total, 1878 of 2352 female residents (79.8%) vs 562 of 3288 male residents (17.1%) reported experiencing gender discrimination (P < .001), and 1026 of 2415 female residents (42.5%) vs 721 of 3360 male residents (21.5%) reported experiencing sexual harassment (P < .001). The most common type of gender discrimination was being mistaken for a nonphysician (1943 of 5640 residents 34.5% overall; 1813 of 2352 female residents 77.1%; 130 of 3288 male residents 4.0%), with patients and/or families as the most frequent source. The most common form of sexual harassment was crude, demeaning, or explicit comments (1557 of 5775 residents 27.0% overall; 901 of 2415 female residents 37.3%; 656 of 3360 male residents 19.5%); among female residents, the most common source of this harassment was patients and/or families, and among male residents, the most common source was coresidents and/or fellows. Among female residents, gender discrimination was associated with pregnancy (odds ratio OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.03-3.62) and higher ABSITE scores (highest vs lowest quartile: OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.14-2.43); among male residents, gender discrimination was associated with parenthood (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.31-2.27) and lower ABSITE scores (highest vs lowest quartile: OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.43-0.76). Senior residents were more likely to report experiencing sexual harassment than interns (postgraduate years 4 and 5 vs postgraduate year 1: OR, 1.77 95% CI, 1.40-2.24 among female residents; 1.31 95% CI, 1.01-1.70 among male residents).
In this study, gender discrimination and sexual harassment were common experiences among surgical residents and were frequently reported by women. These phenomena warrant multifaceted context-specific strategies for improvement.
Abstract Although peer bystanders can exacerbate or prevent bullying and sexual harassment, research has been hindered by the absence of a validated assessment tool to measure the process and ...sequential steps of the bystander intervention model. A measure was developed based on the five steps of Latané and Darley’s (1970) bystander intervention model applied to bullying and sexual harassment. Confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 562 secondary school students confirmed the five-factor structure of the measure. Structural equation modeling revealed that all the steps were influenced by the previous step in the model, as the theory proposed. In addition, the bystander intervention measure was positively correlated with empathy, attitudes toward bullying and sexual harassment, and awareness of bullying and sexual harassment facts. This measure can be used for future research and to inform intervention efforts related to the process of bystander intervention for bullying and sexual harassment.
Gender bias and sexual misconduct continue to pervade medicine. The authors hypothesize that gender bias and sexual misconduct disproportionately and negatively affect female plastic surgery ...trainees.
A national survey of plastic surgery trainees (2018 to 2019) was conducted using previously validated sexual harassment surveys adapted for relevance to plastic surgery. Respondents were queried about experiences with workplace gender bias and harassment; personal and professional impact; and reporting practices. Analyses included chi-square, logistic regression, and analysis of variance. Significance was accepted for values of p < 0.05.
There were 236 responses (115 female respondents; 20.1 percent response rate). Most respondents were Caucasian (Asian/Pacific Islander, n = 34) residents (n = 123). The feeling of hindrance to career advancement was greater for women, by 10-fold (p < 0.001), and increased with age (p = 0.046). Women felt uncomfortable challenging attitudes regarding gender inequality (p < 0.001), regardless of training levels (p = 0.670) or race (p = 0.300). Gender bias diminished female trainees' career goals/ambition (p < 0.001). Women were more likely to experience sexual harassment, in the form of jokes (p = 0.003) and comments about their body or sexuality (p = 0.014). Respondents reported the majority of perpetrators of harassment to be attending physicians (30 percent) and other trainees (37 percent). Most common reasons to not report incidents included "futility" (29 percent) and "fear" (20 percent). Women experienced at least three symptoms of depression/anxiety, significantly higher than men (p = 0.001).
Gender bias and sexual misconduct negatively affect female trainees' attitudes toward their career. Two-thirds of cases of sexual harassment originate from other physicians. Minority trainees are less prepared to address transgressions and more likely to experience sexual coercion. Trainees perceive a culture nonconducive to reporting. These findings can guide changes and discussions surrounding workplace culture in plastic surgery training.
Sexual harassment is a pervasive problem on college campuses. Across eight academic campuses, 16,754 students participated in an online study that included questions about sexual harassment ...victimization by a faculty/staff member or by a peer since enrollment at their Institution of Higher Education (IHE). Utilizing an intersectional theory and hurdle models, this study explored the effects of gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, age at enrollment, student status, and time spent at institution on students’ risk for peer- and faculty/staff-perpetrated sexual harassment victimization, as well as the extent of victimization for students who experience harassment. Across institutions, 19% of students reported experiencing faculty/staff-perpetrated sexual harassment and 30% reported experiencing peer-perpetrated sexual harassment. Hypotheses related to intersectional impacts were partially supported, with most significant findings in main effects. Time at institution was found to increase both risk and extent of victimization of both types of harassment. Traditional undergraduate students, non-Latinx White students, female students, and gender and sexual minority students were found to be at increased risk for harassment. Being female increases the odds of experiencing both faculty/staff and peer sexual harassment by 86% and 147%, respectively. Latinx students and students with an ethnicity other than White reported less victimization, but those who reported sexual harassment faced greater extent of harassing behaviors. A discussion of these findings for institutional program planning and policy is explored.
Gender Harassment Leskinen, Emily A; Cortina, Lilia M; Kabat, Dana B
Law and human behavior,
02/2011, Volume:
35, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
This study challenges the common legal and organizational practice of privileging sexual advance forms of sex-based harassment, while neglecting gender harassment. Survey data came from women working ...in two male-dominated contexts: the military and the legal profession. Their responses to the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ) revealed five typical profiles of harassment: low victimization, gender harassment, gender harassment with unwanted sexual attention, moderate victimization, and high victimization. The vast majority of harassment victims fell into one of the first two groups, which described virtually no unwanted sexual advances. When compared to non-victims, gender-harassed women showed significant decrements in professional and psychological well-being. These findings underscore the seriousness of gender harassment, which merits greater attention by both law and social science.
This article investigates the phenomenon of domestic and sexual violence against adult women using digital communications technologies. The article explores terminological and conceptual challenges ...and describes the empirical research literature in this field to date in relation to digital dating abuse, intimate partner cyberstalking, technology-facilitated sexual assault, image-based sexual abuse, and online sexual harassment. The article also discusses policy and practice responses to this growing problem, as well as future directions for research. We argue that research and practice need to be guided by existing conceptual frameworks that utilize gender and actor–network theory to understanding the causes and consequences of women’s experiences of abuse and violence facilitated by digital technologies.
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