The BBC recently reported about assaults against female surgeons, stating that they are being “sexually harassed, assaulted and in some cases raped by colleagues”.
Almost two-thirds of female surgeons who provided a response to the research stated that they had been targets of sexual harassment, with a third of those targeted by sexual assault. The analysis was conducted by the Universities of Exeter, Surrey and the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery.
The Royal College of Surgeons has deemed the results of this survey and the state of assaults against female surgeons to be “truly shocking”.
Statistics extracted from the survey
The report is due to be published in the British Journal of Surgery revealed some more detailed statistics about the scale of the problem, as well as the fact that surgical training is a specialist area, where speaking out about a superior could be very damaging to future career prospects, as unacceptable as this is.
Of the 1,434 respondents, half of which were female:
- 90% of female and 81% of male respondents had witnessed sexual misconduct
- 63% of women had been sexually harassed by a colleague
- 30% of women had been sexually assaulted by a colleague
- 11% of women engaged in forced physical contact in relation to career progression
- At least 11 rapes were reported
Breaking the Silence
A secondary report into sexual misconduct in the healthcare sector entitled Breaking the Silence, is proposing recommendations on how changes need to be addressed.
It suggested that the lower proportions of female surgeons (around 28%), combined with the hierarchical nature of the surgical establishment, allows some male staff to have significant power over subordinates, which – coupled with immense working pressure – is a bad combination of factors.
The surveys also highlighted a lack of faith in the organisational bodies, such as the NHS Trusts and the General Medical Council (GMC), to deal with issues effectively.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has deemed the findings as “atrocious”.
Dr Binta Sultan of NHS England stated:
“We are already taking significant steps to do this, including through commitments to provide more support and clear reporting mechanisms to those who have suffered harassment or inappropriate behaviour.”
The GMC updated its professional standards for doctors in August.
Further reading
What counts as workplace sexual harassment? – Oakwood Solicitors
Bullying and harassment at work – Oakwood Solicitors
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Jessica Rowson started as a Paralegal at Oakwood Solicitors in July 2010, qualifying as a Solicitor in September 2013. Following her qualifying as a Solicitor, Jessica established a niche department …
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