But what about the progress women have made in medicine? Women are surpassing men in terms of admittance to medical school. Last year, for the first time, women accounted for more than half of the enrollees in U.S. medical schools, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.13 Yet there has been a stalling in terms of change when it comes to harassment.12 Women may be more vulnerable to harassment, both when they’re perceived as weak and when they’re so strong that they challenge traditional hierarchies.
Perpetuating the problem is the trouble with reporting sexual harassment. Victims do not fare well in our society. Even in the #MeToo era, reporting such behavior is far from straightforward.11 Women fear that reporting any harassment will make them a target. Think of Anita Hill—her testimony against Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court showed that women who report sexual harassment experience marginalization, retaliation, stigmatization, and worse.
The result is that medical professionals tend to suppress the recognition of harassment. We make excuses for it, blame ourselves, or just take it on the chin and move on. There’s also confusion regarding what constitutes harassment. As doctors, especially psychiatrists, we hear harrowing stories. It’s reasonable to downplay our own experiences. Turning everyone into a victim of sexual harassment could detract from the stories of women who were raped, molested, and severely taken advantage of. There is a reasonable fear that diluting their message could be further damaging.14
Time for action
The field of medicine needs to do better in terms of education, support, anticipation, prevention, and reaction to harassment. We have the awareness. Now, we need action.
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