DEFINITIONS

AMBIENT HARASSMENT

General level of sexual harassment in a particular setting as defined by the frequency of harassing behaviors of all types and levels of severity. In this type of harassment the people negatively affected are not directly targeted. Examples include bystanders who witness other students or coworkers repeatedly targeted by unwanted sexual attention. (1)

BIPOC

Acronym for "Black, Indigenous, People of Color"

(see Intersectionality figure below)

BURNOUT

“A state of physical or emotional exhaustion associated with chronic workplace stress that involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.” (2)

(see Intersectionality figure below)

CULTURAL COMPETENCY

“The ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures” and “be respectful and responsive to the health beliefs and practices-and cultural and linguistic needs-of diverse population groups,” sometimes also called cultural sensitivity or cultural humility. (2)

(see Intersectionality figure below)

DISCRIMINATORY BEHAVIOR

An umbrella term that includes biased treatment based upon characteristics such as race, color, ethnicity, age, sex and so on. (1)

EFFORT-REWARD IMBALANCE

A model developed “to identify heals-adverse effects of stressful psychosocial work and employment conditions” that “posits exposure to recurrent experience of failed reciprocity at work ‘high cost/low gain’ increases the risk of incident stress-related disorders.” (2)

EXPLICIT BIAS

Negative or positive attitudes that include “thoughts and feelings that people deliberately think about and can consciously report about.” (2)

GENDER HARASSMENT

Verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey hostility, exclusion, or second-class status about members of one gender. Examples include use of language such as “bitch,” jokes such as “Don’t be a pussy,” and comments that denigrate women as a group or individuals in gendered terms. This type of harassment is sometimes further broken down in to sexist hostility and crude harassment. (1)

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT HARASSMENT

A legal term referring to sexual harassment that is “severe or pervasive” enough to alter the conditions of employment, interfere with one’s work performance, or impede one’s ability to get an education. Both gender harassment and unwanted sexual attention can contribute to a hostile environment. (1)

IMPLICIT BIAS

“Thoughts and feelings that often exist outside of conscious awareness, and thus are difficult to consciously acknowledge and control.” (2)

INCIVILITY

Rude and insensitive behavior that shows a lack of regard for others (not necessarily related to sex or gender). (1)

INTERSECTIONALITY

“The acknowledgement that within groups of people with a common identity, whether it be gender, sexuality, religion, race, or one of the many other defining aspects of identity, there exist intragroup differences and that individuals may share and experience multiple identities simultaneously.” (2)

(see Intersectionality figure below)

LGBTQIA+

Sexual and gender minority groups (2)

(see Intersectionality figure below)

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Individuals living with “any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions),” such as impairments in hearing, vision, cognition, mobility, social relationships, communication, and/or self-care. (2)

QUID PRO QUO SEXUAL HARASSMENT

A legal term that parallels sexual coercion. It is a type of sexual harassment in which favorable professional or education al treatment is conditioned on sexual activity (such as through the use of bribes or threats). Examples include promises of a better grade or a letter of reference in exchange for sexual favors. (1)

RETALIATION

Any adverse action taken against a person participating in a protected activity because of their participation in that protected activity. (3)

SEX/GENDER DISCRIMINATION

A broad term that includes discrimination and harassment based upon gender or sex. In addition to sexually harassing behavior, examples of this include pay or hiring discrimination based on one's sex or gender. (1)

SEXUAL COERCION

A type of sexual harassment in which favorable professional or educational treatment is conditioned on sexual activity (such as through the use of bribes or threats). Examples include promises of a better grade or a letter or reference in exchange for sexual favors. (1)

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

A type of sex/gender discrimination that encompasses gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion. (1)

(see Sexual Harassment figure below)

UNWANTED SEXUAL ATTENTION

Unwelcome sexual advances, which can include assault. Examples include repeated requests for dates and persistent attempts to establish sexual relationships despite rejection. (1)

URM

Underrepresented in medicine; defined by the AAMC as “those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population” and was used before 2003 as the acronym for underrepresented minorities, “which consisted of Blacks, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans (i.e., American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians), and mainland Puerto Ricans.” (2)

(see Intersectionality figure below)

WHISTLEBLOWER

One who reveals something covert or who informs against another especially : an employee who brings wrongdoing by an employer or by other employees to the attention of a government or law enforcement agency

Note: A whistleblower is commonly protected legally from retaliation. (4)

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

The “comfortable state of equilibrium achieved between an employee’s primary priorities of their employment and their private lifestyle,” including time for family, personal relationships, hobbies, and potential responsibilities as a parent and/or caregiver. (2)