Recent studies have provided evidence that gender discrimination is directly linked to bad health outcomes for women in America. A study by Jagsi et al. (2016) showed that 30% of female scientists in the medical fraternity had experienced sexual discrimination or harassment. Among these, 40% reported they had experienced severe forms of sexual harassment like coercive sexual advances. Further, Ro and Choi (2010) show that sexual harassment and discrimination impacts negatively on their confidence as medical professionals as well as their career growth. The gravity of these incidences not only to the scientists but also to the larger American female population that depends on them for curative medicine underscores the urgency to seek lasting solutions to curb the practice.
Although there exist legal systems that prohibit sexual discrimination, they are not adequate because much of the sexual harassment cases reported do not meet the threshold of the legal system to qualify as a crime (Johnson et al., 2018). For this reason, it is paramount to implement well-designed and holistic approaches to address the loopholes created by legal systems.
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Recommendations
The first recommendation is to establish a diverse, respectful, and inclusive working environment. The National Health Institutes should train and equip all employees with skills that enable them to interrupt and intervene whenever they see inappropriate conduct. Second is to expand the contemporary legal system to encompass culture and work climate change. The National Health Institute should not just rely on policies for legal compliance but focus on the vice from a drastic culture and climate change perspective in a way that leaders listen and engage with all scientists. The third recommendation is to demystify the hierarchical relationships between junior level employees and senior staff to minimize the likelihood of sexual discrimination and harassment. Lastly is to increase the levels of transparency and accountability. This is the core of the strategy in fighting against sexual harassment. The institutions should explicitly demonstrate that the vice is strictly prohibited. Currently, there are cases where violators still receive grants and funding for their work (Bernstein, 2016; Lautenberger, Dandar, & Raezer, 2014). However, all employees should be made to understand that the perpetrators will be held accountable and will get no special treatment.
- Bernstein, L. (2016). At NIH, one woman says gender bias has blocked promotions. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com
- Jagsi, R., Griffith, K. A., Jones, R., Perumalswami, C. R., Ubel, P., & Stewart, A. (2016). Sexual harassment and discrimination experiences of academic medical faculty. JAMA, 315(19), 2120-2121.
- Johnson, P. A., Widnall, E., Benya, F. F., National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine., & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Sexual harassment of women: Climate, culture, and consequences in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
- Lautenberger, D. M., Dandar, V. M., & Raezer, C. L. (2014). The state of women in academic medicine: The pipeline and pathways to leadership, 2013-2014. Association of American Medical Colleges.
- Ro, A., & Choi, K.-H. (2010). Effects of gender discrimination and reported stress on drug use among racially/ethnically diverse women in Northern California. Women’s Health Issues: Official Publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health, 20(3), 211–218.
