To what extent do employees feel that they are exposed to sexual harassment and victimisation at work?
Sexual harassment and victimisation are serious work environment problems that affect both the safety of individuals and the ability of organisations to create sustainable workplaces. In order to prevent and act, employers need to understand what victimisation looks like, how it can be measured and why different surveys sometimes give different pictures.
On this page, we summarise the latest results from the Swedish Work Environment Authority's Work Environment 2024 survey and the Harassment Survey 2024. Together, they show both the prevalence of sexual harassment and victimisation in working life, and how important it is to measure exposure both through direct questions and through questions about concrete behaviours.
Swedish Work Environment Authority survey
In the Swedish Work Environment Authority's survey The working environment in 2024, where people aged 16-64 who work have responded, shows that:
- 4 % have felt that they have been subjected to sexual harassment by managers, colleagues or other people, such as customers, patients or students. The most common victimisation is by other people, followed by colleagues.
- 18 % feel that they have been subjected to victimisation by managers, colleagues or other people, such as customers, patients or students. The most common form of victimisation is by managers, which about 8 % indicates, then by colleagues, approximately 7 %, and then by other people, approximately 6 %. Several answers were possible.
Harassment Barometer survey
The harassment barometer (Verian, formerly Kantar Sifo) examines, among other things, perceptions of sexual harassment. How to measure Degrees of victimisation matter according to the Harassment Barometer. In the survey, participants are asked whether they have been subjected to sexual harassment and whether they have experienced specific unwanted behaviours.
This is serious unwanted behaviour that is classified as sexual harassment.
The gross undesirable behaviours are:
- Unwelcome touching of a sexual nature that is perceived as offensive.
- Despite the fact that you have already said no, you have been repeatedly asked to meet in a way that is not perceived as purely friendly.
- Inappropriate advances by colleague in social networks, such as chats and Facebook.
- Unwelcome emails or text messages from a colleague of a sexual nature that were perceived as offensive.
- Someone who, in a way that you found sexually offensive, showed you parts of their body.
- Someone who displays images of a sexual nature in a way that was unwanted.
- Sexual invitations to gain advantages in your work.
- Someone who tried to force a sexual act with you.
- Someone who tried to force a sexual act with you when you were either asleep or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Someone who forced a sexual act on you.
Results of the Harassment Barometer survey
To the direct question ”In the last 12 months, have you ever been sexually harassed in or around your work situation?” responds 2,6 % that they have been sexually harassed. Among women, the share is 3 % and among men 2 %.
At the same time, it states 13,3 % they have been subjected in the last 12 months to one or more of the serious unwanted behaviours classified as sexual harassment in or around the workplace.
When the answers to the direct question and the questions on specific behaviours are combined, the total 14 % have been sexually harassed.
Gender balance in the workplace matters
The Harassment Barometer also shows that gender diversity in the workplace plays a role in sexual harassment:
- In workplaces with a gender balance 12 % of men and 14 % of women that they have been subjected to explicit sexual harassment and/or something that could be considered sexual harassment in the past 12 months.
- In male-dominated workplaces 22 % of women and 11 % men that they have been victimised.
- In female-dominated workplaces 15 % of men and 13 % of women said they had been victimised.
Not much difference between women and men's experiences
When it comes to the extent to which people have experienced the serious unwanted behaviour (which is classified as sexual harassment), there are small differences between women and men for most of the behaviours. For seven of the ten behaviours, men are more likely than women to say that they have been subjected to this in or around a work situation in the last 12 months.
- Unwelcome touching of a sexual nature that is perceived as offensive: 7 % of women and 6 % of men say they have experienced this in the last 12 months in or around their work situation.
- Despite the fact that you have already said no, you have been repeatedly asked to meet in a way that is not perceived as purely friendly: 5 % of both women and men indicate that this.
- Inappropriate advances by colleague in social networks such as chats and Facebook: 6 % of women and 5 % of men.
- Unwelcome emails or text messages from a colleague of a sexual nature that were perceived as offensive: 4 % of men and 3 % of women.
- Someone who, in a way that you found sexually offensive, showed you parts of their body: 5 % of men and 3 % of women.
- Someone who displays images of a sexual nature in a way that was unwanted: 5 % of men and 3 % of women.
- Sexual invitations to gain advantages in your work: 4 % of men and 1 % of women.
- Someone who tried to force a sexual act with you: 3 % of men and 2 % of women.
- Someone who tried to force a sexual act with you when you were either asleep or under the influence of alcohol/drugs: 3 % of men and 2 % of women.
- Someone who forced a sexual act on you: 3 % of men and 2 % of women.
