“I don’t think the older men in leadership positions respect me at first glance ... Several other women warned me never to be alone with this person ... I was ultimately fired because the harassment came from the COO ... I quit my job. I knew rape would be next.”
These are the experiences of women healthcare leaders who have been harassed or discriminated against in the workplace at some point in their careers. Their feedback was part of a Modern Healthcare survey that found 26% of the nearly 1,000 participants experienced workplace sexual harassment and about 32% have experienced gender discrimination.
The survey also found many organizations ignore the problem. Of the respondents who experienced harassment or discrimination, 35% said no action was taken when they reported it to their employer.
The survey, released at the 9th annual Women Leaders in Healthcare conference, included responses from 911 workers in leadership positions across the industry. About 75% of the respondents were women and 45% said they worked in a hospital setting.