OB/GYNs routinely experience sexual harassment, study suggests

By Bernard Turk On Jun 9, 2024

Sexual harassment, bullying and workplace discrimination are commonly encountered by doctors and other clinicians in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, a recent literature review suggests.

The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open, shows that although the field is increasingly female-dominated, medical students, residents, fellows and attending physicians in obstetrics and gynecology regularly experience sexual harassment and gender bias on the job.

A team of researchers including gynecologists, urogynecologists and gynecologic oncologists reviewed 10 studies covering 5,852 participants in the field.

Up to 70.9 percent of participants in the reviewed studies reported sexual harassment in the workplace, while up to 67.2 percent of respondents in the reviewed studies said they’d been discriminated against in the workplace. Among the microaggressions reported were being told to smile more or “act more motherly,” the researchers found.

The review found that among trainees, physicians were the most common source of harassment (30.1 percent) reported by those in the studies, followed by other trainees (13.1 percent) and operating room staff (7.7 percent). Although 10.6 percent of reported perpetrators were women, that number rose to 57.7 percent in cases in which a male trainee reported sexual harassment.

The researchers also looked at 12 studies, involving nearly 3,000 participants, of interventions designed to reduce the mistreatment of trainees in the field. Interventions included institutional anti-abuse initiatives, workshops and training on how to report harassment. But the researchers write that “no significant decrease in the frequency of sexual harassment was found with any intervention.”

Part of the issue may come down to power, the researchers write, noting that despite female dominance in the field, women still lag in leadership roles. Reporting is an issue too, they conclude; although study participants often did report harassment, they most often disclosed it to other trainees.

Up to 40.2 percent of study participants said they did not report harassment because they feared retaliation.

The research should be used “to acknowledge the prevalence of bullying, abuse, and sexual harassment and begin to work collectively” on prevention, reporting and interventions, the researchers conclude. The team calls for more research into ways to improve the practicing climate and “model professionalism” for OB/GYN practitioners.

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