Sexism and Sexual Harassment in Medicine: Unraveling the Web

Excerpt

The 2018 report from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which found that female medical students are much more likely to experience sexual harassment than our peers in other STEM disciplines, has only revealed and validated what women in medicine have endured since they entered the workforce.¹ The report emphasizes the link between sexual harassment and poor professional outcomes, like job dissatisfaction and reduced productivity, and psychological outcomes, like depression and lowered life satisfaction, and it has pushed the medical community to identify solutions to sexual harassment such as changes to institutional policy and trainings for faculty and staff.¹ But the discourse on this significant problem has largely focused on “eliminating” sexual harassment in a vacuum, chopping it from its roots in sexism. In the 2 years I’ve spent studying this topic, I’ve sometimes wondered if my colleagues recognize that sexual harassment is a manifestation of institutional sexism that is embedded in our culture, not just a cancer that emerged suddenly, de novo. Perceptions of what is and what is not sexual harassment vary immensely between students, residents, and attendees, based on the dominant culture of one’s training environment and personal identity. And, ironically, the very power dynamics that enable sexual harassment to persist also prevent open dialogue due to fear of retribution. So while brainstorming responses to sexual harassment is tempting, if we do not fully explore its manifestations and characterize its causes, we risk implementing solutions that manage symptoms without treating the disease. …