We, Too

by Abby Rosenberg (@AbbyRosenbergMD)I didn ’t want to be another “me too” story. I am becoming one, now, because I believe in the power of a collective voice.You see, there is something terribly lonely about experiencing sexual harassment. And, there is something incredibly powerful about the quiet moment when you finally, bravely, share your story. There is something bittersweet about knowing you are not alone.Sexual harassment in medicine is common. Over 50% of women medical students experience it before they graduate.(1) Disparities in women ’s salaries, grant-funding, academic rank, and leadership opportunities are well-documented. (2-9) While sexual harassment (inappropriate and overtly sexual behavior) is often publicized only after an egregious action and corresponding court or media coverage, “gender harassment” (the broad-r ange of verbal and non-verbal behaviors conveying insulting, hostile, objectifying, exclusive, belittling, and/or degrading attitudes about one gender) is far more common and insidious. (1) Tolerance of both sexual and gender harassment has been the accepted “price that women pay for a career in medicine.” (10,11)I was willing to pay this price until I experienced it within our communities of palliative care, bioethics, and humanities. When it came from the people who were supposed to model the highest standards of respect and support, it was all the more stunning, all the more painful, and all the more debilitating. Worse, as I de...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - Category: Palliative Care Tags: discrimination harassment rosenberg The profession Source Type: blogs