Workplace sexual harassment and violence common among women in a Nordic welfare state

While Iceland currently ranks nr.1 in the world in gender equality, a newly released study found that one third of women in Iceland have been subjected to workplace sexual harassment or violence during their lifetime. These findings are published in the latest issue of the prestigious scientific journal The Lancet Public Health. Women working as public figures and in tourism present with the greatest risk of sexual harassment and violence at their current workplace.

The study was conducted in a subsample of the SAGA Cohort, one of the largest cohorts in the world assessing the impact of  stressful life events on women’s  health under the leadership of scientists at the University of Iceland. The current study includes 15,799 women representative of the working-aged female population in Iceland and who answered an extensive electronic survey e.g. on sexual harassment and violence in their work environment and work sectors.

Results show that one third of women report having experienced workplace sexual harassment or violence over their lifetime, and 8% in their current workplace. Exposure to current workplace sexual harassment was highest among women in work sectors of public figures (e.g. in the performing arts, journalism, politics), tourism, legal system and security and in manufacturing and repair. It was also more common in workplaces with shift work and irregular and long hours. “Women working in such environments are more likely to be alone with a potential perpetrator, with no witnesses to the harassment or assault. We need to take this into account when we are defining safety in work environments.” says Edda Bjork Thordardottir, assistant professor and senior author of the paper.

Despite older women having spent more years in the labor market, lifetime exposure to workplace harassment was more common among young women. Additionally, lifetime exposure to workplace harassment was more common among women belonging to sexual minorities (e.g. lesbian, bisexual) than heterosexual women.

These findings are particularly intriguing given that Iceland has for more than a decade ranked nr.1 in gender equality (World Economic Forum, 2022). Thus, these findings indicate that in a Nordic welfare state there is a considerable need to improve public policies aimed at promoting women’s safety in the work environment. 

The article can be accessed at The Lancet Public Health website and an interview with Edda in the journal's podcast.

Information about the SAGA cohort can be obtained on our website.