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Women in the healthcare workforce are more likely to experience verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying, while men are more likely to experience physical violence, according to a study in PLOS Global Public Health. A scoping review and report on the prevalence and risk factors of gender-based workplace violence (GB-WPV) in healthcare settings were conducted. Data from 226 studies were included in the analysis. The researchers found that more women than men experienced non-physical violence, including verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying, across the studies. Compared with women, men experienced more physical violence. Characteristics that were sensitive to gender included younger age, less experience, shifting duties, specific clinical settings, lower professional status, organizational hierarchy, and minority status, which reflected the structural disadvantages of women in the workplace.
