The British Journal of Surgery (BJS) found that 63% of women and 23% of men have experienced sexual harassment by colleagues.
29.9% of those women reported being sexually assaulted, while just 6.9% of the male surgical workforce reported incidents.
The survey also found that participants were vulnerable to experiencing sexual assault in other work-related contexts such as teaching spaces, conferences, and after- work events.
"The surgical workplace is particularly vulnerable to sexual misconduct with its predominantly male senior workforce, use of strongly hierarchical structures, and high-stress environments"
Harassment in the workplace can be detrimental to the wellbeing of staff, and can lead to self-harm and suicide. As a result the BJS have highlighted the need to improve the culture within the surgical workplace and to implement effective measures to deal with cases of sexual harassment.
Read more here
Related Event: Sexual Harassment and Misconduct within the NHS
Wednesday 24th Janaury 2024, Virtual CPD Conference
