Women Working in Finland: Experiences of Discrimination in the Workplace and in Recruitment

Abstract

This research is about the women’s experiences of discrimination in the workplace and in recruitment situations in Finland. The research was executed as a survey, which used quantitative and qualitative research methods. The survey was divided in to four parts, and the following information was included in the survey: the general information of the women who answered the survey, women’s experiences of discrimination in the workplace, women’s experiences of discrimination in recruitment, the knowledge of discrimination legislation and how all these experiences affected the women respondents. The survey was answered by 56 women that at the time lived in Finland and were between the ages of 18 to 60 years old.

The theory focuses on the Finnish legislation regarding discrimination, how to prevent, identify and resolve discrimination, and how previous law cases and the history of women’s work in Finland affect today’s society. Discrimination is defined as treating someone unfairly compared to how some other person would have been treated in a similar situation. Discrimination is forbidden in Finland in the following laws: the constitutional law, the Non-Discrimination Act, the Employment Contracts Act and the Act of Equality Between Men and Women.

The best way to prevent discrimination from happening is to make sure employers have enough education on discrimination and that there are clear roles in organizations. If discrimination still happens employees should contact the occupational safety and health authority of the organization or the police. If discrimination has occurred in a recruitment situation it is possible to contact the trade union, the ombudsman for minorities or the ombudsman for equality. If it can be proven that discrimination has happened the employer can be fined or imprisoned for up to six months.

The results showed that some women had experienced discrimination due to their gender, age, family status, ethnic origin, etc. Most of the women had a good knowledge of discrimination laws. After experiencing discrimination many of the women felt skeptical, suspicious, and uncertain of applying to new jobs regarding discrimination in recruitment. The women who experienced discrimination at the workplace had a difficult time continuing working, felt isolated, not appreciated some even felt anxiety, depression and sleeping problems. Many of these experiences lowered women’s work motivation and gave them even more of a desire to change jobs.