Pharmacy Daily | Female pharmacists face harassment

PHARMACISTS in the US are being urged to take stock of how their actions allow "sexism [to] endure" in the profession.

Responding to an online petition calling on pharmacy organisations to address the challenges preventing female pharmacists from speaking out about sexism and sexual misconduct, the American Pharmacy Association (APhA) said the profession needed to eliminate discrimination in all its forms.

"The petition inspired a wave of women to share their own stories of abuse and harassment based on their gender," the APhA said.

"The petition also led to discussions about the unfairness of guilty parties receiving tenure-track promotions, positions of power, and professional awards and accolades with no consideration of their unprofessional and destructive treatment of their female peers.

"This is a very real threat to pharmacy and the patients we serve.

"When women are sexually harassed, and when their achievements are subjugated and disregarded, we are deprived of valuable perspectives, ideas, and innovations that could propel us forward.

"Every one of us, especially men, needs to take an honest inventory of how we think and act, and how we play a role in letting sexism endure. APhA members and staff must do so as well, not only as individuals but as an organisation."

The APhA said that prior to the launch of the petition, the organisation had convened a joint taskforce with the Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science, and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, aimed at ensuring gender equity in careers in the sciences.

The organisation added the petition had "motivated pharmacy groups, APhA and others, to reevaluate their actions to support women in the profession and recommit to living their principles, and it has amplified a conversation that must be ongoing".