Introduction

Sexual harassment at work is a challenge for the Nordic labour market and to the goal of creating an inclusive, gender equal and cohesive region. International and Nordic studies alike show that sexual harassment exists in all sectors of the labour market and that it has serious negative consequences. There is good research evidence of sexual harassment having psychological, physical and work-related harmful effects for those who experience it. Sexual harassment affects entire workplaces, organisations and sectors, including in the form of negative economic effects due to sickness absence, and as a contributing factor to continued sex segregation in the labour market. In working towards a sustainable Nordic region in which workplaces are free from abuse and harassment, preventing sexual harassment is therefore of the utmost importance.

Research overviews are clear that there are major knowledge gaps regarding sexual harassment and preventive work in Nordic workplaces. Existing research is unable to answer the question of how sexual harassment can best be prevented or of how preventive measures can be implemented effectively and beneficially.

If we are to develop successful preventive measures, we need new knowledge, both about sexual harassment as a phenomenon, and about specific situations in the Nordic labour market. Building that knowledge takes close dialogue and collaboration, in which researchers, practitioners and decision-makers are all involved and contribute relevant and practical input.

Previous studies also indicate that more knowledge is needed on how different positions and circumstances interact in workplaces in order to identify incidences of sexual harassment, the consequences of experiencing sexual harassment, and good preventive methods. Intersectional perspectives, in other words exploring the interplay between social categories and dimensions such as sex, age, sexuality, ethnicity, disability, etc., are needed to add to knowledge about the organisation of work and the multifaceted world of work in the Nordic region. An understanding of how working life is made up of people with widely differing backgrounds and positions is crucial in helping to combat abuse and harassment in the labour market in the long term.

In the light of the state of knowledge and the requirements identified for producing relevant knowledge, the five Nordic gender equality ministers decided to allocate funding for new research on sexual harassment in working life in the Nordic Region 2021-2023. The research initiative involved initiating research, launching new collaborative interfaces, and opening up new questions and exploratory perspectives.

As early as the initial phase, when existing research was being surveyed and the calls for proposals were being written, many considerations arose. Those gave rise to new insights, not least on how a project can tackle a wide-ranging theme given, for a research context, relatively small funding and a limited timeframe. The initiative as a whole came to incorporate research projects, network meetings, dissemination initiatives and the conference “Prevent and Intervene – Ending Sexual Harassment at Work” held in Oslo in autumn 2023.

The five projects that were granted funding have been surprising and impressive in many ways. In collaboration across sectors and disciplines and between labour market actors, they have added more knowledge and improved work to combat sexual harassment in the workplace in the Nordic countries. Every project has produced concrete knowledge such as proposed measures, methods and approaches. They also demonstrate some of the factors that are needed to build knowledge about prevention in the Nordic countries and how these affect the type of research, knowledge and prevention carried out.

The projects have been and still are actively sharing their results in several national, Nordic and international contexts. We are also delighted that several of the projects have been able to continue their work that the Nordic research initiative started.

When the research funding initiative was designed, interdisciplinarity, collaborative research and a Nordic dimension were identified as key principles to produce new knowledge and new preventive methods. This publication initially describes these three principles with examples from the knowledge developed in the projects. We then take a closer look at each of the five funded projects and conclude with a summarising reflection on preventive work against sexual harassment in the Nordic region.

Lubna Jaffery, Minister of Gender Equality and Culture in Norway, quote from the Nordic Conference: Prevent and Intervene – Ending Sexual Harassment at Work, in Oslo 2023 

Sirið Stenberg, Minister for Social Affairs and Culture of the Faroe Islands, quote from the Nordic Conference: Prevent and Intervene – Ending Sexual Harassment at Work, in Oslo 2023 

The Nordic research funding initiative on sexual harassment at work 2021–2023 sought to initiate relevant research, cross-sectoral collaboration and shared knowledge building.

The research funding initiative was carried out in collaboration between the Nordic sectors for gender equality, culture and working life and the Nordic Committee for Children and Young People. 

The objective of the initiative was mainly to contribute towards new knowledge on sexual harassment at work in the Nordic countries with a focus on preventive measures and intervention methods. The findings were to contribute towards a good knowledge base for policy development and to cross-sectoral Nordic collaboration within the Nordic Council of Ministers.

The research funding initiative was administered by NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, and commissioned by and run in close collaboration with the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Gender Equality and LGBTI. NIKK is a co-operation body under the Council of Ministers based in the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg.

The calls for research funding were made in 2021. A total of DKK 3.7 million was announced in two calls with different criteria:

The first call was aimed at ongoing research projects where an additional grant from the research initiative would add a Nordic dimension and added value to the ongoing project with relevance for knowledge about sexual harassment at work.

The second call was aimed at researchers and practitioners who intended to initiate practice-based research activities in collaboration. This call focused mainly on preventive measures and methods for intervention through industry studies or comparative studies of different industries. A contribution to Nordic benefit and partnerships between several Nordic countries were criteria. An interdisciplinary focus and intersectional perspectives were recommended, as was reflection on definitions and concepts.