Gender harassment and discrimination in male dominated
work and education: old problem, new data
Eva Witkowska
National Institute for Working Life and Karolinska Institutet
Stockholm, Sweden
Presentation outline. Bergen University, September 30, 2004
Introduction
In Sweden, 30% of the workforce works in gender segregated workplaces (90-100%)
same gender, and only 20% works in integrated workplaces (30-60%mix)
Women in male dominated industry are less healthy than men, show more psychosomatic
diseases and less work satisfaction. However, women managers are better off.
Women’s value is often underestimated and their contributions often invisible, and this
leads to severe social stress (Bergman, 1997)
Sexual harassment in male dominated jobs
 not well researched in Scandinavia
 FRIDA 1987
39% in man dominated unions
11% in women dominated workplaces
In Canadian and US studies this trend is also present.
Epidemiology of sexual harassment
Swedish workplace studies:

FRID-A survey ,1987
17% of female workers reported having experienced sexual harassment in their
working life

Central Statistical Office, Work Environment Survey, 2001
2% female workers reported sexual harassment and 10% gender related harassment
during the last 12 months

Goteborg University , 1993
15% of the female respondents reported sexual harassment at work
Male respondents (study 2 and 3) reported lower levels of harassment
Sexual harassment in academia
 Göteborg University (1993): 15% of female and 4% of male employees
 Uppsala University (1999): 12% of female students
 Chalmers (2003): 50% of students gender discrimination, 30% sexual harassment
Comparable results from Stockholm University (1992): 10% female students and 12%
female employees, Umeå University (1993), University of Lund (1994): 15% of
female students 26% female post grad students
 US and Canadian studies: up to well over 50%, approx. 20% female faculty
The case of Chalmers, a technical university
 50% of female students experienced gender harassment (teachers and peers to similar
degree)
 30% sexual harassment (most commonly from peers)
 1of 7 experienced unfair treatment
 30% acknowledged harassment
 50% believed that sexual harassment are a part of organizational culture at Chalmers
 only 10% thought that sexual harassment is a problem there
 1of 8 reported negative consequences
 avoidance or direct confrontation most common strategies, no help accessed (other
than friends)
 over 70% had no information of internal procedures in case of sexual harassment
 60% of women (40% of men) believed more info needed (Bernelo & Peterson, 2002)
The confusion concerning what is discrimination, what is harassment and what is
normal at a technical institution is reflected in the comments from participants
(Bernelo & Peterson, 2002):
"The term sexual harassment is so strong"
"Harassment is too strong a word"
".....some teachers have difficulties to take women students seriously, but I don't know if
you can call it sexual harassment."
"It is hard to be a girl in such male dominated school, but this is how the jobs are going to
look like so it is better to get used."
"Because the majority of students are men it is automatically a little like a "locker room",
but it doesn't need to be entirely negative"
"I have got sexual compliments and comments but haven't experienced them as
harassment......."
"I have answered "yes" to some of the questions in the questionnaire but don't think it is
about sexual harassment, more likely about undeveloped social behaviour rather than
harassment"
"Sexual harassment is present in the society, and maybe also at Chalmers - but I
have never experienced it, and if I have experienced it I didn't see it as
discrimination"
Other Scandinavian interview studies with women working in male dominated
workplaces and education also reflect the difficult situation of women entering the
jobs:
"Depending on your sex you are given different positions, different salaries. A young
man gets a better salary and position and then they see if he deserves it, while the girls
have to prove tat they deserve it before they get the rewards. The boys get it in advance
just because they are boys.... as an incentive. The girls have to work for it. If you don't
get it as a girl you don't demand it yourself"(Bergman, 1997)
"The very first impression of myself at the university (as an academic employee) was that
I was somehow deviant. Everything I was seemed to be somehow worse, unwanted and
unsuitable for academic circles."
".....women are not listened to in the same way as men. And then men tend to come and
talk to their female collegues more about personal problems than on scientific issues. so i
do feel that they don't take you seriously so you have to go very fast and push hard before
you can make them take you seriously, probably you have to work six times as hard."
"We have this kind of assistant post that is mostly teaching, and it has traditionally been a
"woman's post" in this male dominated department. The task is to be the mother figure of
the department. It was quite funny because I was in my early 20s then."
"Really bad behaviour like pigs goes on in the university but people submit too easily.
young female students and female teachers realise only after years that what they
experienced was discrimination or sexual harassment-it seems that the work community
sees it as a normal activity"
"I do think that university is in its own way even worse, because it has this incredible
face of justice, and it is far from that."
"It is difficult to talk about these issues. male subordinates do not want to believe or
admit that something could be wrong. Nor do women want to talk, at least not those
whom the discrimination and bullying do not reach. Their attitude seems to be. at least
what comes to me, I am so popular among the men that I am not discriminated.
Additionally, some women are discriminated against, others are cherished like a delicate
flower in the same workplace. How to talk about discrimination against women, when
this one flower is immediately taken up as an example--that she doesn't complain."
"People don't want to come out in public as victims of misfortune or injustice, even
if they think they are "right". They are afraid of appearing foolish, naive or
ridiculous, and even deeper that that there is an underlying thought that if you are
not lucky you are somehow disfavoured by fate or god and a kind of person
everybody avoids or tries to harm. In some more boastful working places they talk
about losers and failures, who are not needed."(Husu, 2001)
Organizational characteristics of discriminatory and harassing organizations

Hierarchical power structures and inequity in pay/hiring/promotions

Skewed sex ratios and women and minorities treated as ”out-group members”

Gender-typing of work (”male culture” environments or sex role spillover)

Sexualized work environments

Perceived organizational tolerance of sexual harassment and lack of
support/recourse mechanisms

Unprofessional ambiance/general morale problems
Organizational resistance to change
 gender-blind perspective--gender equality is not a problem. “Maybe somewhere else
but not for us”, “Used to be a problem but no more”
 generational perspective--too late for this generation, but with the next generation
inequality and discrimination will have no place (resolved by itself)
- gender fairness perspective--women and men are different the present order reflect this
and is natural, things have gone too far and it is unfair to the men
- women as the problem perspective--women are the problem, not organizations,
women are not qualified enough or too sensitive or prioritize family not work
 gender difference celebration--women (not all people are different) have different
strengths, experiences, that need to be included for the sake of variety
 power issues--men have more power, and the structures are designed to benefit them,
and women are seen not as peers but the “power resource”, the foot soldiers
 POWER IMBALANCE in academia even if disguised as meritocracy, has to be
acknowledged, whether as students, phd students, young researchers or token women
women are in a disadvantaged position in terms of power and resources. (Bernelo &
Peterson, 2002)
Basic concepts
 discrimination is a general category
 sexual harassment is a specific manifestation:
- hostile environment/gender harassment
- inappropriate advances
Acknowledging harassment and discrimination
Action against sexual harassment and discrimination can only be undertaken if the
injustice is acknowledged. One has to not only be intellectually aware of certain
conditions but also allow oneself to process it emotionally (get angry?) to be able to
respond adequately.
INPUT
INTELLECTUAL ACKNOWLEDGEMNT
EMOTIONAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT
RESULT
Coping strategies
Anna Wahl has studied Swedish male dominated jobs and found a great resistance in the
women to see themselves as victims, and seeing oneself as discriminated against and
harassed implies victimization and can be very disempowering. Also definitions and
organizational support missing. Strategies women use to deal with the situation:
 gender neutral strategy: gender is irrelevant and everybody is treated the same way
 positive strategy: focusing on positives
 relative point of view: all problems are caused by the fact that women are new to the
job and will disappear when there is more women (not true, minorities need to adapt
and will not automatically make changes)
 circumstantial: trying to find explanation in other people or circumstances.
 -gender neutral strategy: gender is irrelevant and everybody is treated the same way
 -positive strategy: focusing on positives
 -relative point of view: all problems are caused by the fact that women are new to the
job and will disappear when there is more women (not true, minorities need to adapt
and will not automatically make changes)
 -trying to find explanation in other people or circumstances.
 denial of the unofficial structures
Coping with sexual harassment
 Sexual harassment, acknowledged or not, is associated with elevated risk for
symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as various negative health and
work related outcomes
 Other members of organizations are also negatively affected
 Strategies of ignoring and avoiding versus assertive responses, or why don’t they
complain?
Just because the harassment wasn’t reported doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen or
that it wasn’t serious!
Theory of sexual harassment
 Sexually harassing behaviors are not simply produced from a lack of knowledge,
simple sexist attitudes, or misplaced sexual desire - they play a role in the
(re)production of gender
 Power of gender and sexuality remains asymmetrical in the public domain - being seen
as gendered/sexual has different consequences for women and men
 Men are harassed if they are the "wrong" sort of men
 It is important to keep in mind informal power structures in organizations and how
they influence the views and behaviors and support certain status-quos
Towards harassment free environments
 Specific and well articulated policy published and distributed proactively, that:
 …ensures knowledge and understanding of conduct related to sexual harassment
 …encourages reporting and protects from retaliation
 …provides multiple avenues of complaint
 …ensures all complaints investigated promptly and thoroughly
 …links sexual harassment to discipline
Bernelo & Peterson, 2002, Sexuella trakasserier--finns de på Chalmers?, Chalmers University
Berman, 1997, Women among men, Göteborg University
Husu, 2001, Sexism, support and survival in Academia, University of Helsinki