Sexually harassed at work - an overview of the research in the Nordic countries

Abstract

Sexual harassment is a major social problem in working life in the Nordic countries, which the Me Too movement of autumn 2017 demonstrated in particular. This research overview has been compiled on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers for Gender Equality. The purpose of this overview is to provide an account of current knowledge about sexual harassment in the workplace in the Nordic countries and to identify the knowledge gaps to form the basis for a Nordic research initiative in this area. The work is based on a survey of the research into the various ways in which sexual harassment is expressed in people’s working lives based on occupations of varying nature, in professional situations, in peer relations, and in meetings with customers, patients and clients. The research overview is based on a systematic review of the research and other relevant literature from the Nordic countries between the years 2014–2019. The overview does not claim to be comprehensive, although there has been an endeavour to present current research from all the Nordic countries. The studies contribute knowledge about the conditions for employees and how some tasks can constitute vulnerability factors for being sexually harassed. There is a tendency to present the studied sector/industry or the studied occupation as worst affected and more affected than other sectors/industries and occupations. The risk with this is that knowledge about specific sectors/industries and occupations is perceived as representative of the whole of the labour market. By bringing together studies from different occupations, industries and sectors this research overview contributes an insight into the specific contexts of different occupations but also contributes a cross-sectoral picture of sexual harassment in the workplace in the Nordic countries.