While sexual harassment is an unfortunate and common occurrence in many Massachusetts and New Hampshire work environments, research indicates that those who work in some fields are more likely to fall victim to it than those in the general workforce. At Kajko, Wiseman & Colasanti, LLP, we know that gynecologic oncologists report especially high rates of sexual harassment, and we have helped many health care and other professionals who experienced sexual harassment at work pursue recourse.

According to Targeted Oncology, many gynecologic oncologists experience sexual harassment not only in the workplace, but when training to practice medicine in the field. In fact, 70% of all American female oncologists report having fallen victim to sexual harassment in training or in practice, while more than half of all males in the profession report the same.

A recent study involving more than 1,500 physicians revealed that, while both male and female gynecologic oncologists are often hesitant to report sexual harassment, female victims were slightly more likely than their male colleagues to call attention to the treatment. While about 17% of female sexual harassment victims reported the behavior, only about 10% of male physicians on the field did the same.

So, just what types of harassing behaviors are today’s gynecologic oncologists experiencing on the job? More than half of the female physicians involved in the study said they had been the subject of sexist remarks in the workplace, while about 4% of them said someone had asked them for sexual favors in exchange for academic positions. The most common form of sexual harassment male gynecologic oncologists reported, meanwhile, was unwanted sexual advances. You can find more on this topic on our webpage.