Trainees are being abused by senior male surgeons, a major analysis given to the BBC reveals.

Sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape have been referred to as surgery’s open secret.

There is an untold story of women being fondled inside their scrubs, of male surgeons wiping their brow on their breasts and men rubbing erections against female staff. Some have been offered career opportunities for sex.

The analysis - by the University of Exeter, the University of Surrey and the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery - has been shared exclusively with BBC News.

Nearly two-thirds of women surgeons that responded to the researchers said they had been the target of sexual harassment and a third had been sexually assaulted by colleagues in the past five years.

Women say they fear reporting incidents will damage their careers and they lack confidence the NHS will take action.

  • Syrc@lemmy.world
    462·
    11 months ago

    Full stats by the way:

    Among women, 63.3% reported being the target of sexual harassment versus 23.7% of men

    29.9% of women had been sexually assaulted versus 6.9% of men

    10.9% of women experiencing forced physical contact for career opportunities (a form of sexual assault) versus 0.7% of men

    Being raped by a colleague was reported by 0.8% of women versus 0.1% of men

    Not sure why it keeps being framed as “versus” like it’s some sort of competition and it doesn’t mean both sexes get sexually harassed and that’s not fucking okay for either.