Women in surgical residency programs are far more likely to experience discrimination or sexual harassment than their male peers, a study published July 28 in JAMA Surgery found.
Researchers surveyed 6,764 residents enrolled in 301 general surgery programs nationwide about their experiences with gender discrimination and sexual harassment during the 2018-19 academic year.
Five findings:
1. About 80 percent of female residents reported experiencing gender discrimination, compared to 17.1 percent of male residents.
2. The most common type of gender discrimination was being mistaken for a nonphysician 一 often by patients or family members 一 with 77 percent of female residents reporting the experience. Just 4 percent of male residents reported the same.
3. Women who were pregnant and men who had children were more likely to experience discrimination.
4. Female residents were more likely to experience sexual harassment (42.5 percent) compared to male residents (21.5 percent).
5. The most common form of harassment was crude, demeaning or explicit comments reported by 37.3 percent of female residents and 19.5 percent of male residents.
To view the full study, click here.