Trakasseribaromtern 2024 (The Harassment Survey) is the fourth survey of exposure of professionals to sexual harassment, discrimination and victimisation in Sweden. The proportion who have been subjected to sexual harassment at work in the past 12 months is 14 per cent. Some groups are more exposed than others:
- One in five aged between 18 and 29 (22%)
- One in five with a foreign background (20%)
- One in five LGBTQIA+(21%)
- One in five with fixed-term contracts (19%)
“The vulnerability of these groups is a recurring trend in several Swedish research studies. Targeted efforts to provide support to these groups are necessary, as well as concrete measures that can reduce the risks of vulnerability for already vulnerable groups," says Fredrik Bondestam, Director of the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, University of Gothenburg, who has participated with knowledge in the survey.
Equally worrying is that one in two (51%) do not tell anyone that they have been harassed at work. Only one in four women (23%) and one in six men (17%) informed an employer or trade union representative.
Silence is a hiding place for the perpetrator
95 per cent of managers consider sexual harassment to be a minor problem in their workplace. This compares with one in ten employees who say they have seen or heard of a colleague being sexually harassed.
“ The culture of silence extends not only to the victim, but also to the colleagues and managers who actually recognise the harassment but do not act.. Silence becomes a hiding place for the perpetrator and that is unacceptable" says Susanna Toivanen, Professor of Sociology, Mälardalen University.
To bring about real change, more pressure is needed at all levels. The goal can never be anything other than a safe and inclusive working life for all. Unfortunately, the fourth Trakasseribarometer shows that exposure to sexual harassment, discrimination and victimisation remains unchanged and persists in Swedish working life.
You can read the 2024 Trakasseribarometer in Swedish here
