I was sexually harassed as a junior by senior doctors: it still goes on, and it needs to stop
BMJ 2013; 347 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6302 (Published 21 October 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f6302
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Reading this article saddened me greatly, mainly because the doctor writing it could not find the support she needed.
Sexual harassment is indeed rampant in the workplace, and when you're a junior doctor and are on the receiving end of a senior doctor's unwelcome advances it can be extremely difficult to stand your ground and report them. You're extremely worried about your career and about what other people will think, because these senior doctors have the power to make your life very difficult.
I also had a friend who was subject to something similar from her PhD supervisor, the verbal harassment went on for months and she did nothing, she became withdrawn and told me later that she had a suicidal moment.
She eventually did report him and when she did, many other women came forward as well. Eventually he was removed from his position but went on to find a job elsewhere. It angers me to know that he almost ruined my friend's life but has received no real retribution.
The medical community should start to take harassment a lot more seriously, whether it be sexual or verbal, and encourage the reporting of incidents. At the very least, we should be offering victims of harassment all the support they need.
Competing interests: No competing interests
I was enormously depressed to read Anonymous's account of sexual harassment. I was not surprised by her own experiences - I too qualified at the end of the 1970s, and sexual harassment and routine humiliation of the female students was accepted as part of the price to pay for the privilege of training to be a doctor. So routine was it, that when landing a professorial house job my friends asked me how many times I'd had to sleep with aforesaid professor (none). I was raped more than once by a doctor as a 3rd year student, but as Anonymous said, who could I tell? Who would have believed me?
But this is water under the bridge - yes it leaves scars, but what depresses and angers me is that it is still going on. The power imbalances in medicine are great, and the increased numbers of women in the profession risks a greater backlash against them by traditional male consultants, who want things 'as they were in my day' - sexual harassment as well by all accounts.
It is time for the profession to believe in gender equality, not just pay it lip service.
Competing interests: No competing interests
My first reaction was "why would anyone advise the author to be anonymous" but soon I realized-it is the same everywhere in the world. The fair sex is always the victim. When we speak of "developed countries" we go by every other factor (read economics) except the treatment meted to women. Else, how can you explain everything centered around their exploitation? Can we name a country where women are paid on par with men?
Coming back to sexual harassment, there needs to be more support. Unfortunately, the patient oriented culture overlooks the employee's rights and safety. We see more of "hand washing" awareness campaign than "call us any time , we are here to help" slogans.
I know of a doctor (she had to remain anonymous) who was persistently bullied by her consultant in front of her other colleagues and it took six months and a lot of counselling from the near and dear to confront the devil. So times have changed or did they?
Competing interests: No competing interests
Re: I was sexually harassed as a junior by senior doctors: it still goes on, and it needs to stop
I was desperately sorry to hear about your author's suffering. I am afraid that until there are many more women consultants and GPs it is going to continue.
Competing interests: No competing interests