One third of female surgeons have been sexually assaulted by a colleague some even reporting rape, according to a new UK survey
Key Takeaways
A new UK survey found that nearly one-third of female surgeons have been sexually assaulted by a colleague.
The survey follows a report last year that revealed that many UK healthcare workers experienced sexual harassment, but the system offered few ways for them to report the incident.
Industry leaders call the findings shocking and stress the need for better standards for workers.
While they work to keep patients safe, healthcare workers face personal health risks in the workplace, including sexual assault.
A new survey in the United Kingdom found that nearly one-third of female surgeons have been sexually assaulted by a colleague—and more than 60% have been subjected to sexual harassment. About 85% of all survey respondents—which included both male and female surgeons—said they had witnessed some form of sexual misconduct among colleagues.[]
Published in the British Journal of Surgery this September, the survey asked surgeons about their experiences with sexual misconduct—which included sexual harassment, assault, and rape—over the last five years. It was conducted online and conducted anonymously. The researchers analyzed responses from more than 1,400 surgeons.
In a joint statement attached to the survey, presidents of four surgical royal colleges in the UK wrote that the findings were “shocking.”
“As leaders of the four surgical royal colleges, we want to send a strong message: these utterly unacceptable [behaviors] have no place in surgery,” they said.
Sexual harassment in healthcare isn’t limited to surgery
Adding to the gravity of the situation is a 2022 investigation by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), which exposed large gaps in England’s National Health System’s (NHS) ability to respond to and handle sexual harassment incidents.
Conducted between 2017 and 2022, the investigation pulled up towering levels of recorded sexual harassment incidents in NHS trusts, paired with largely absent policies to address issues or support survivors. Specifically, researchers located more than 35,000 sexual safety incidents in more than 200 NHS trusts, but less than 10% of the trusts had a dedicated policy to deal with sexual assault and harassment. Further, trusts were not obligated to report staff abuse incidents to a central database.
In the recent survey, only 15.1% of female surgeon respondents said they regarded the General Medical Council as adequate for handling sexual misconduct.
Male and female surgeons face different realities
Both male and female surgeons reported experiencing or witnessing sexual harassment situations, per the recent survey. However, female respondents reported strikingly higher levels of individual experiences.
While no individual experience can be diminished, as a whole, about 40% more female than male surgeons reported having experienced sexual harassment. Per results: 63.3% of female surgeons and 23.7% of male surgeons reported being the target of sexual harassment.
Close to 1% of female surgeons reported being raped by a colleague.
“These findings show that women and men in the surgical workforce are living different realities,” the researchers wrote. “For women, being around colleagues is more often going to mean witnessing, and being a target of, sexual misconduct.”
Kristen Fuller, MD, a former emergency room doctor and MDLinx Medical Advisory Board member who was not affiliated with the research says that “being in a male-dominated field, being surrounded by powerful males with egos, [and] being in areas that are not always public,” may make healthcare workers more vulnerable to sexual harassment.
“Victims in healthcare, especially female physicians, are often scared to report the incident out of fear they may be shamed, blamed, ostracized or even fired,” Dr. Fuller adds. “I personally feel safe, but I always have my guard up.”
Some representatives of organizations fighting sexual assault also voiced opinions on the survey. Among others, Becky Cox, the co-founder of the campaign group Surviving in Scrubs, said the discrepancy between male and female surgeons' experience with sexual assault represents a culture of “[institutionalized] misogyny.”
“The onus is now on surgical institutions and trusts to prevent this [behavior], take action against those who perpetrate it, and support those who experience it,” Cox added.
Recognizing and combating institutional misogyny is crucial to facilitating change, Cox said.
Changes needed in the workplace
During the 2022 investigation, UK health secretary Steve Barclay told researchers changes had been made to protect healthcare workers against sexual assault, including an elongated prison sentence for those convicted with assaulting healthcare workers. Barclay said the government was also working closely with the NHS to make sure it was taking anti-violence action, like introducing body cameras (in a trial) and establishing a ‘national violence prevention hub.”[]
“NHS leaders have a statutory duty of care to look after their staff and patients and prevent harassment, abuse, or violence in the workplace,” Barclay said. “I expect employers to be proactive in ensuring staff and patients are fully supported, their concerns listened to and acted on with appropriate action taken where necessary.”[]
Along with surveillance cameras, Fuller says she would like to see “harsh no tolerance consequences” for sexual assault offenders and encouragement for survivors to report incidents.
Eliminating victim blaming and educating people about sexual harassment—starting in medical school and lasting throughout conferences and training once in the field—are also important steps to protect workers going forward, she adds.
What this means for you
Hospital workers are vulnerable to sexual harassment and sexual assault by colleagues, with female workers at a higher risk than males, according to a new UK survey. Healthcare’s male-dominated environment, combined with a lack of sexual harassment reporting systems, may be to blame.