Assessing workplace discrimination among medical practitioners in Western Sydney

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the presence of different forms of experiences of discrimination in the medical workplace. Methods: A total of 526 questionnaires were sent out, including a demographic survey form and the Everyday Discrimination Scale. Results: Experiences of being “treated with less courtesy than other people are” and feeling as “others acted if they’re better than [me]” were reported as having occurred with almost daily frequency by 4.1 % of respondents. Those whose main language was not English and classified as “non-whites” had significantly more experiences (“ever”) of discrimination in the medical workplace. The most commonly reported reasons for discrimination were ancestry (31.3%), “race” (28.1%), and gender (21.1%). Conclusions: The results of this survey indicate that a proportion of doctors experience discrimination in the workplace in Australia. This phenomenon was more commonly reported by doctors of minority status.