More than half of women in UK workplaces have experienced sexual harassment, and the NHS—where women make up the bulk of the workforce—is no exception. This project tackles a gap in current research: most studies treat sexual harassment and gender discrimination as if they affect all women the same way. In reality, a woman’s race, class, job status, and background combine to shape how she is treated and what harm she suffers. The researchers will use interviews, focus groups, and social media stories to understand these intersecting factors within the NHS, which employs a large and diverse workforce. If successful, the work could change how the NHS—and other large employers—designs policies to prevent harassment and support those affected. Instead of one-size-fits-all rules, organisations might adopt approaches that account for how race, gender, and class interact. This could improve women’s health outcomes, job satisfaction, and staff retention, particularly for those from minority ethnic backgrounds who face compounded discrimination. The findings are expected to apply beyond healthcare, to any sector where harassment and discrimination are prevalent.
View original technical description
Sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the UK workplace contribute markedly towards a significant public health problem, serious women’s health issue and mental health crisis (TUC 2019; Adams et al 2020; Cox et al 2023). Over 1 in 2 women in the UK have experienced workplace sexual harassment and almost half gender discrimination (TUC 2016; 2019). The result is reduced health outcomes, job satisfaction and employee retention (Gale et al. 2019; McLaughlin et al. 2017; Acker 2006; 2011; McDonald 2012). This project goes beyond current research on sexual harassment and gender discrimination to develop an intersectional sociological approach geared towards change and transformation. Focusing on the NHS, this project combines interviews, vignette focus groups and social media story gathering to problematize existing assumptions about how sexual harassment and gender discrimination operate and identify solutions to this salient issue. The NHS is the biggest employer in the UK, with 77% of its workforce women and almost a quarter from minority ethnic backgrounds (Rolewicz and Palmer 2021; NHS Digital 2021; NHS Employers 2019). The scale and makeup of the NHS, as well as diversity of working environments within it, make it an ideal case study to investigate how sexual harassment and gender discrimination operate in the workplace and the consequences for women’s health. In addition, recent work has highlighted the prominence of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the NHS (Adams et al 2020; Cox et al 2023; Begeny et al 2023). The British Medical Association’s recent workforce survey found that 91% of women doctors in the UK have experienced sexism at work and respondents of all genders reported an issue of sexism in the medical profession (BMA 2017; BMA 2021). Organisations focused on the working conditions of healthcare professionals in the UK have evidenced the significant prevalence of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the sector and called for more action to be taken to tackle it (Unison 2021; MWF 2019; Cox et al 2023; Fessler 2018; Rimmer 2017). Whilst the NHS is the focus of this project, this work is applicable to many other sectors given the known prevalence of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace and their impact on health. Workplace sexual harassment is predominantly defined as ‘unwelcome and sexualised behaviour in the organisational context’ (Hennekam and Bennett 2017, 418), while gender discrimination includes all forms of discriminatory treatment based on gender. Systematic racism, sexism and classism produce unequal treatment in and experiences of work (Acker 2006; Minnotte and Legerski 2019; Healy et al. 2019; Tazzyman 2019). Intersectional research has illustrated that identity factors combine in complex ways to impact how people are treated and the discrimination they experience (Crenshaw 2013; McBride et al 2015). An intersectional approach to workforce is therefore vital, but is rarely applied in work on workplace sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Taking a multi-dimensional approach (contextual, experiential and institutional), this project will identify how sexual harassment and gender discrimination are conceptualised in the NHS, how they have been/are dealt with, and explore women’s experiences and the health consequences, through an intersectional lens. This will enable an assessment of how sexual harassment and gender discrimination could be better dealt with at an organisational and national level to enable a nuanced approach sensitive to combinations of race, gender, place, status and class.
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know