Women in academia report more sexual harassment, negative work climates, survey finds
Women had more negative experiences compared to men, other minorities, and those identifying as LGBTQ+.
A survey found concerning rates of sexual harassment, online incivility, and negative perceptions of work climate in academic medicine.
To evaluate academic medical culture and its impact on faculty, mental health researchers surveyed 830 researchers who had received career development grants from the National Institutes of Health from 2006 to 2009, remained in academia, and responded to a 2021 survey. Their responses were compared by gender, race, and LGBTQ+ status. Ethnic categories were Asian, White, and underrepresented in medicine defined as not Asian or non-Hispanic White. Results were published June 6 by JAMA.
Three aspects of culture were assessed as primary outcomes: organizational climate, sexual harassment, and online incivility. The five-item Mental Health Inventory (scored from 0 to 100 points with higher values indicating better mental health) was used to evaluate the secondary outcome of mental health. The respondents included 422 men, 385 women, two of nonbinary gender, and 21 who did not identify gender. There were 169 Asian respondents, 66 underrepresented in medicine, 572 White, and 23 who did not report their race and ethnicity. There were 774 respondents who identified as cisgender and heterosexual, 31 who identified as LGBTQ+, and 25 who did not identify status.
Women rated the organizational climate more negatively on a five-point scale than men (means, 3.68 [95% CI, 3.59 to 3.77] vs. 3.96 [95% CI, 3.88 to 4.04]; P<0.001). The same was true of their diversity climate ratings (means, 3.72 [95% CI, 3.64 to 3.80] vs. 4.16 [95% CI, 4.09 to 4.23]; P<0.001). Diversity climate ratings also varied by race and ethnicity (Asian mean, 4.0 [95% CI, 3.88 to 4.12]; underrepresented in medicine mean, 3.71 [95% CI, 3.50 to 3.92]; and White mean, 3.96 [95% CI, 3.90 to 4.02]; P=0.04).
Women were more likely than men to report experiencing gender harassment in the form of sexist remarks and crude behaviors (71.9% [95% CI, 67.1% to 76.4%] vs. 44.9% [95% CI, 40.1% to 49.8%]; P<0.001). Respondents who were LGBTQ+ were also more likely to report sexual harassment than cisgender and heterosexual respondents when using social media professionally (13.3% [95% CI, 1.7% to 40.5%] vs. 2.5% [95% CI, 1.2% to 4.6%]; P=0.01).
The study authors concluded that the observed rates of sexual harassment, cyber incivility, and negative climate in academic medicine were “concerning,” especially given the associations between these experiences and mental health. “These reported experiences warrant ongoing efforts to transform the culture of the medical profession through action-oriented interventions,” they wrote.
An accompanying editorial stated that the study shows broad cultural issues facing women compared with men, whereas members of other minorities report much narrower negative experiences limited to only a single aspect of culture.
“Among recipients of career development awards from the National Institutes of Health, arguably among the most promising group of young investigators in the US today, many if not most experienced incivility, often to the point of adversely affecting their mental health,” the editorial stated. “Unfortunately, these findings are not novel, confirming and extending what is already known. The implications are even worse—in this study, the culture of medicine has the effect of squandering the talent of the next generation of investigators and leaders, lending great urgency to confront these challenges.”