29% of directors in the hospital public service have been victims of at least one case of gender-based and sexual violence (GBV) in the last three years. This figure reaches 42% for women, compared to 9% for men. This is what was revealed by a survey conducted by the National Management Center (CNG) during the second half of 2023, the results of which were released on Tuesday, September 3. This study was conducted among 1,171 directors – men and women – in the hospital public service*.
While a new #MeToo wave shook the hospital world in the spring of 2024, this study highlights the existence of VSS within the management of public institutions. 43% of directors say they have witnessed sexism or been the victim of at least one VSS. 70% of men say they have neither witnessed sexism nor been the victim of VSS, compared to 45.4% of women.
In total, 900 “phenomena” that occurred in the last three years were reported in this survey. In 61% of cases, the respondent was a victim of VSS. This corresponds, in 56%, to inappropriate remarks.
The perpetrators of this violence are 77% men, notes the CNG. And, in 58% of cases, the perpetrator of this VSS belongs to the professional circle close to the victim: a member of governance (22%), a member of the management team (18%) or a hierarchical superior (18%).
Reports still low
However, only 57% of these VSS are mentioned or reported to a third party. A lack of reporting that can be explained in particular by “the certainty that nothing will happen”, but also by a lack of awareness of the seriousness of the facts. “When the respondent is a witness, the facts of sexism are discussed with third parties in 74% of cases. For cases where the respondent is a victim, the facts are rarely mentioned [ou] reported, but rather kept to oneself. When they are not kept quiet, they are mostly reported to a colleague. The internal reporting system is very little used by managers [et directrices]”, CNG advance.
For victims, this violence can have direct consequences. In particular, it leads to a deterioration in their working relationship (32%), a feeling of insecurity at work (26% among direct victims of VSS) and impacts their personal life (15%).
Beyond VSS, this survey also focuses on the discrimination suffered by hospital public service directors. At work, 31% of respondents say they suffer discrimination related to their age. “Next comes discrimination related to sex or gender identity, for 28% [d’entre eux]with a very significant gap between women (42%) and men (7%)”, adds the CNG. 11% of directors suffer real or supposed discrimination linked to their origins.
Other figures concern respondents’ access to responsibilities. 59% are interested in a leadership position, a higher position or have already had access to one: men say they are more interested (69.5%) than women (52%).
Similarities with another study
In addition, 54% of female respondents say they feel like their abilities or skills are being questioned in their professional practice, compared to 47% of men. “We observe significant gaps in perception between women and men on various professional aspects,” indicates the CNG in its survey. Indeed, “men think much less than women that leadership can be perceived differently depending on the gender of the candidate by a recruiter” or “that women encounter particular difficulties, linked to the fact of being a woman, in their career progression.”
Recalling its opposition to all forms of discrimination and professional inequality between women and men, the CNG sees similarities in the results of this study with those from the fifth barometer of the association Donner des Elles à la santé, published last June. Conducted among 500 hospital doctors – men and women – it revealed in particular that 39% of female practitioners had been victims of sexist behavior over the last twelve months.
*This represents nearly 27% of all directors working in establishments in France.
