Swiss physicians' experiences of sexual harassment at work. A nationwide survey
- 1University of Lausanne
Abstract
BackgroundWorkplace discrimination and violence against health workers including sexual harassment is a societal problem worldwide. We aimed to assess the frequency, predictive factors, and effects of sexual harassment using a nationwide survey of physicians working in Switzerland.
Materials and MethodsWe conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey of physicians working in Swiss healthcare institutions. The questionnaire assessed experiences of sexual harassment at work, including frequency, types, and sources of harassment. It also asked about the impact of sexual harassment, whether incidents were reported, and what actions were taken following a report.
ResultsAmong the 1837 physicians that participated in the survey, 575 (31.3%) had experienced sexual harassment at least once in their job. Among those reporting sexual harassment, 39.1% of women and 13.2% of men had experienced harassment at least once in their job. Women reported more verbal harassment, while men reported more physical harassment. Women were also more likely to face both forms combined. The main sources of harassment were colleagues of the same profession (46.7%), patients (42.3%), and superiors (41.0%). The most frequently reported impacts included stress (60.1%), emotional exhaustion (34.7%), reduced motivation at work (30%), and considering leaving the job (7.5%). Gender-men was associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing harassment 0.24 (0.18 to 0.31), whereas working in the German-speaking region was associated with a slightly higher likelihood of having experienced sexual harassment at least once (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.02-1.81).
ConclusionsSexual harassment is common among physicians in Swiss healthcare institutions. It adversely affects the mental health and career trajectories of both men and women yet remains widely underreported due to fears of reprisals and inaction. Institutions should effectively intervene to ensure that reported incidents result in appropriate actions, and that those who report them receive adequate protection from reprisals.
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BibTeX
@misc{dzi2026swiss,
title = {{Swiss physicians' experiences of sexual harassment at work. A nationwide survey}},
author = {K. T. Dzi and R. Jox and P. Bodenmann},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.19.26365908},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.26365908v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Swiss physicians' experiences of sexual harassment at work. A nationwide survey
AU - K. T. Dzi
AU - R. Jox
AU - P. Bodenmann
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.19.26365908
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.26365908v1
AB - BackgroundWorkplace discrimination and violence against health workers including sexual harassment is a societal problem worldwide. We aimed to assess the frequency, predictive factors, and effects of sexual harassment using a nationwide survey of physicians working in Switzerland. Materials and MethodsWe conducted a self-administered questionnaire survey of physicians working in Swiss healthcare institutions. The questionnaire assessed experiences of sexual harassment at work, including frequency, types, and sources of harassment. It also asked about the impact of sexual harassment, whether incidents were reported, and what actions were taken following a report. ResultsAmong the 1837 physicians that participated in the survey, 575 (31.3%) had experienced sexual harassment at least once in their job. Among those reporting sexual harassment, 39.1% of women and 13.2% of men had experienced harassment at least once in their job. Women reported more verbal harassment, while men reported more physical harassment. Women were also more likely to face both forms combined. The main sources of harassment were colleagues of the same profession (46.7%), patients (42.3%), and superiors (41.0%). The most frequently reported impacts included stress (60.1%), emotional exhaustion (34.7%), reduced motivation at work (30%), and considering leaving the job (7.5%). Gender-men was associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing harassment 0.24 (0.18 to 0.31), whereas working in the German-speaking region was associated with a slightly higher likelihood of having experienced sexual harassment at least once (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.02-1.81). ConclusionsSexual harassment is common among physicians in Swiss healthcare institutions. It adversely affects the mental health and career trajectories of both men and women yet remains widely underreported due to fears of reprisals and inaction. Institutions should effectively intervene to ensure that reported incidents result in appropriate actions, and that those who report them receive adequate protection from reprisals.
ER -