To what extent do employees feel that they are exposed to sexual harassment and victimisation at work?
Swedish Work Environment Authority survey
The Swedish Work Environment Authority's Work Environment 2024 survey, which is aimed at working people aged 16-64, states:
- 4 % have experienced sexual harassment by managers, colleagues or by others such as customers, patients or students. The most common victimisation is by others, followed by colleagues.
- 18 % feel that they have been victimised by managers, colleagues or other people, such as customers, patients or students. The most common victimisation is by managers (about 8 % say so), then by colleagues (about 7 %) and then by other people (about 6 %), multiple answers were possible.
The harassment barometer
The harassment survey examines, among other things, the experience of sexual harassment.
Measurement based on both concepts and behaviours
According to the Harassment Barometer (conducted by Verian, formerly Kantar Sifo), how you measure the degree of victimisation matters: in the survey, participants are asked whether they have been subjected to sexual harassment and whether they have experienced specific behaviours. These are serious unwanted behaviours that are 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/drugs.
- Someone who forced a sexual act on you.
Results of sexual harassment
When asked directly ”In the last 12 months, have you ever been sexually harassed in or around your work situation?” 2.6 % responded that they had been sexually harassed, 3 % of women and 2 % of men.
13.3 % say they have been subjected to one or more of the serious unwanted behaviours classified as sexual harassment in the last 12 months in and around their work situation.
In total, 14 % have been sexually harassed when the answers to the direct question and the behavioural questions are combined.
Gender balance in the workplace matters
The Harassment Barometer also shows that gender diversity in the workplace plays a role in sexual harassment:
- In gender balanced workplaces, 12 % of men and 14 % of women report having been subjected to explicit sexual harassment and/or something that could be considered sexual harassment in the last 12 months.
- In male-dominated workplaces, 22 % of women and 11 % of men report victimisation.
- In female-dominated workplaces, 15 % of men and 13 % of women report victimisation.
Not much difference between women's 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 was perceived as offensive: 7 % of women and 6 % of men say they experienced this in the last 12 months in or around their work situation.
- Even though you have already said no, you have been repeatedly asked to meet in a way that was not perceived as purely friendly: 5 % of both women and men say 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 showing 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 on 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.
Links to learn more
Read the 2024 Harassment Barometer here (and here is an overview)
Read the Swedish Work Environment Authority's report The work environment 2024 here (and here is an overview)
