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.
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Related Event: Sexual Harassment and Misconduct within the NHS
Wednesday 24th Janaury 2024, Virtual CPD Conference