The field of medicine is hierarchical, and the jobs with higher status and power typically belong to men. This particular recipe tends to indicate higher levels of sexual harassment for women in any field, recent studies indicate. Women in California in the medical field may be affected by sexual harassment and sometimes face injustice when reporting incidents of inappropriate behavior at work. Luckily, laws are in place to support women who stand up to mistreatment.
A recent survey shows that 30 percent of women in the medical field have experienced harassment within the last two years. The results for medical workers are at least comparable to other sectors, and in some instances are much higher than other industries. For the decade between 2005 and 2015, almost 5,000 cases of harassment were reported by female medical workers. Only the hospitality and manufacturing industries had higher rates of reports in this survey.
In the medical field, workers are encouraged not to make waves and to go with the flow. When this policy spills over into exposing mistreatment, the results can be toxic. Some women have experienced stress and trauma as a result of inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
As more workers step forward to tell their stories, more steps can be taken to correct the problem of widespread sexual harassment on the job. In California, workers are protected by law against harassment and discrimination. A person who has experienced mistreatment on the job, or who has been reprimanded for speaking out, may wish to fight back. Many will team up with an experienced lawyer for more help, seeking a fair settlement of the case.
Source: californiahealthline.org, “Women In Medicine Shout #MeToo About Sexual Harassment At Work“, Christina Jewett, March 21, 2018