Sexism and sexual harassment have become ‘dangerously normalised’ within medical education, the disturbing findings of a BMA report has today revealed.
A survey of nearly 1,000 (968) UK medical students found that 41 per cent of female students and 19 per cent of male students reported experiencing sexual harassment or assault while at medical school.
A further 20 per cent of female respondents and 6 per cent of male survey respondents said that they had experienced harassment or been sexually assaulted while on clinical placement, while 84 per cent of those participating in the study stating that they believed that sexism is a problem in medical education.
The report warns that an institutional failure by UK medical schools and placement providers to tackle sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination is putting students’ wellbeing at risk and jeopardising trust in medical education and the profession.
‘Our university allowed a repeated predator who sexual assaulted other students back on to the course,’ one medical student told the survey.
‘The university also encouraged students who were victimised not to go to the police as it would impact their reputation.’
Other key findings from the report include:
– Sixty-six per cent of respondents had personally experienced sexism at university, including university social or extra-curricular activities
– Sixty-seven per cent who experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault chose not to report the incident
– Fifty per cent of respondents said that sexism and sexual violence had impacted their education.