Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Experienced by Women Physicians in Mexico

Women in medicine face distinct gender-related challenges during their training and professional development. Alarmingly, discrimination and sexual harassment-often underreported-create hostile environments, negatively impact personal wellbeing, and potentially compromise professional performance and patient care. This study explores the prevalence of gender discrimination and harassment experienced by women physicians in Mexico. Via social media communities of women physicians in Mexico, potential participants were invited to answer a multiple-choice survey. Demographic characteristics, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment experiences during medical training or practice, and reporting of these misconducts were assessed. Four hundred and twenty-eight women physicians completed the survey. Gender discrimination was reported by 82%, which affected professional performance for 50% of them. Similarly, 84% experienced sexual harassment, most frequently sexual comments (95%), lustful looks (88%), unwelcome sexual invitations (56%), and unwanted touching (50%). Sexual harassment was associated with experiencing gender discrimination (OR 7.32, 95% CI [4.03, 13.32]). The harassers were most commonly higher-rank physicians (78%). These incidents were formally reported by a minority of participants (17%), mostly due to fear of retaliation (41%) and concern of a potential negative career impact (41%). This study highlighted alarmingly high rates of gender discrimination and harassment, which affected 8 of every 10 Mexican women over the course of their medical careers. Ultimately, these findings urge the development of strategies to ensure safe academic and work environments for female physicians and achieve equity throughout the medical field.