The experiences of physiotherapists on gender-based discrimination and harassment in the workplace

Abstract

Gender affects how women and men are organised structurally within the healthcare industry, leading to notable gender inequalities in terms of job stability, advancement opportunities, compensation, education, and specialisation. Gender-based discrimination is seen to have structural, social, and cultural dimensions. This study explores the perceptions and possible experiences of gender-based discrimination, harassment and sexism among physiotherapists registered to work in Malta. This study aims to improve equal opportunities, work performance, and general public service. Semi-structured interviews were carried out after recruiting 11 physiotherapists working within the health sector using a convenience sampling technique. Data analysis was carried out using a phenomenological approach, seeking to explore the feminist concept. The interviews were analysed via NVivoTM software using Thematic Analysis. The data collected showed that women in the physiotherapy services are not under-represented and managerial staff is predominantly female. Despite the high representation of females in the physiotherapy profession, the majority of female participants claimed that they experience gender-based sexism from patients with regards to gender stereotypes on physical strength and work roles. This was attributed to a certain type of culture, religion and generation. Verbal harassment is also common from patients towards female physiotherapists; with the majority of participants claiming that they do not feel comfortable reporting an incident. A number of participants claimed to have made use of work-life balance opportunities and family-friendly measures, however they claimed that they felt it comes at the cost of being placed at a disadvantage with regards to career progression.