“Jobbar man här skall man klara av det” - En kvalitativ studie om sexuella trakasserier på den svenska arbetsmarknaden

Abstract

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a common problem. According to the Swedish Work Environment Authority, almost one-tenth of the workers have been subjected to sexual harassment within the Swedish labor market. Autumn of 2017 was the beginning of the #Metoo movement, aiming to highlight sexual harassment and abuse at work and in other contexts. The #Metoo movement quickly gained a big presence in Swedish media and everyday life and brought a drastic change to the civil discourse of sexual harassment. This study aims to examine how sexual harassment takes place within the Swedish labor market. It highlights the underlying support mechanisms within organizations that foster an environment in which sexual harassment is made possible. This study also pinpoints who the harasser is in relation to the victims, and within what context the acts take place. The study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with a total of seven respondents across five industries. The objective of these interviews was to examine the respondents’ own experiences of sexual harassment as well as how they perceived the culture and conditions of their work organizations. In our sample the harassers were exclusively men, while the victims were both male and female. The analysis shows how a majority of the harassments take place in group environments, where the actions form part of a normative behavior within the organizations. The act is then part of a culture of heteronormative “joking”. This study shows power-dynamics as a central cause to sexual harassment. However, the act of sexual harassment is not only performed by managers. Sexual harassment performed by subordinates and colleagues are more common in our study, where the harasser aims to redistribute the existing power dynamics. An organization’s culture, gender order, and hegemonic ideals become the framework for the organization’s norms. These norms influence how employees and managers act in order to gain status within the group and the organization. The managers seem to have a lack of tools to counteract these norms without losing their legitimacy. This seems to be a major reason why the norms that cause sexual harassment are maintained.