Harris v Forklift Systems, Inc. (1993).9 Teresa Harris, a manager at Forklift Systems, Inc., claimed that the company’s president frequently directed offensive remarks at her that were sexual and discriminatory. The Supreme Court clarified the definition of a “hostile” or “abusive” work environment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was joined by a unanimous majority opinion in agreement with Harris.
Physicians are not immune
Clinicians are affected by sexual harassment, too. We have a duty to protect our patients, colleagues, and ourselves. Psychiatrists in particular often are on the frontlines of helping victims process their trauma.10
But will the field of medicine also face a reckoning when it comes to perpetrating harassment? It seems likely that the medical field would be ripe with harassment when you consider its history of male domination and a hierarchical structure with strong power differentials—not to mention the late nights, exhaustion, easy access to beds, and late-night encounters where inhibitions may be lowered.11
A shocking number of female doctors are sexually harassed. Thirty percent of the top female clinician-researchers have experienced blatant sexual harassment on the job, according to a survey of 573 men and 493 women who received career development awards from the National Institutes of Health in 2006 to 2009.12 In this survey, harassment covered the scope of sexist remarks or behavior, unwanted sexual advances, bribery, threats, and coercion. The majority of those affected said the experience undermined their confidence as professionals, and many said the harassment negatively affected their career advancement.12
Continue to: But what about the progress women have made...