Almost one in three female surgeons in the NHS say they have experienced sexual assault in the past five years, according to a new study.
The report, published by the British Journal of Surgery, was based on surveys of 1,704 operating theatre workers (from surgeons to resident doctors), more than half of them women, and yielded findings that have led the Royal College of Surgeons to describe it as "very shocking".
63% of respondents said they had experienced some form of sexual misconduct by their colleagues, a figure that rises to 23% for men.
Almost one in three (29.9%) female surgeons said they had experienced some form of sexual assault, from touching to rape, while 6.9% of men said the same.
The study found that one in ten of those workers had experienced some form of "forced physical contact linked to job opportunities."
Meanwhile, 0.8% of female surgeons say they have been raped by a colleague, both in the workplace and outside it.
The study gives voice to testimonies such as that of Judith, a surgeon who explained how, in her first years as a professional, a veteran surgeon wiped sweat from his face on his breasts. She froze. When he did it a second time, Judith offered to get him a towel. The answer was "no, this is a lot more fun." "I felt dirty, I felt humiliated," Judith says.
Analysis by the University of Exeter, the University of Surrey and a task force against sexual abuse in operating theatres highlights that many women fear that reporting abuse could damagetheir careers and lack confidence in the NHS to do so.
"It could be said that an implicit aspect of being part of the surgical culture is not to draw attention to sexual misconduct," the authors note in their conclusions.
"The surgeons' workplace is especially vulnerable to sexual misconduct, with a mostly male and veteran staff, strong hierarchical structures, and high-stress environments," the study adds.
- Sexual assault
- United Kingdom