A systematic review of exposure to physical violence across occupational domains according to victims' sex

• We analyzed results of 49 studies considering physical violence at work according to sex.
• Significant differences between men and women were found in most of the studies.
• Men were more often victims of physical violence than women especially in the health sector.
• Women at higher risk of victimization were found in multisectoral studies.

For three decades, workplace violence, and especially physical violence at work, has been the subject of much research. One main finding is that the prevalence of workplace violence largely depends on work sector and on job characteristics. The prevalence of workplace violence also appears to be linked to victims' characteristics, such as their sex. However, results are contradictory in regard to whether men or women are more at risk. A systematic review was conducted to describe the prevalence of physical violence in the workplace and to identify the factors associated with exposure to this across occupational domains, in order to more accurately characterize possible sex differences. Studies dating from 1992 to 2014 were identified using 17 databases and their results were analyzed. The majority of the researchers found significant differences between men and women (29 out of 49). Among them, 19 studies concluded that men were at higher risk for physical violence, with some differences across occupations. Results of this review highlight the need to more systematically consider sex differences in order to better understand physical violence at work.