Sammanfattning
BACKGROUND: The #MeToo campaign highlighted the prevalence of unwanted sexual attention in various occupational groups. We wished to investigate unwanted sexual attention directed at doctors, and examined its scope and change over time in two representative data sets collected prior to the campaign.
MATERIAL AND METHOD: In 1993 and 2014/15, surveys on working conditions, including experience of unwanted sexual attention, were conducted on representative samples of Norwegian doctors. These data were analysed through comparison of proportions and logistic regression with gender and age as variables.
RESULTS: The proportion of doctors reporting unwanted sexual attention increased significantly, from 2.7 % (95 % CI 2.1–3.3) in 1993 to 4.6 % (3.4–5.8) in 2014/15. Being a woman and being young gave an increased risk of experiencing unwanted sexual attention.
INTERPRETATION: We find an increased occurrence of perceived unwanted sexual attention among doctors from 1993 to 2015. This may reflect a real increase or a changed reporting threshold. Future studies should investigate the sources of this unwanted attention, its degree of seriousness and the consequences of the incidents.