Susanna BairohResearch Manager,TEK - Academic Engineers & Architects in Finland

@TEK_akateemiset

• TEK strives to achieve equality and diversity in working life as well as equal pay and opportunities for career advancement.

• Research question: How common are experiences of discrimination in technology workplaces in Finland, and how do they differ between men and women, different age groups and language groups?

• Data used here is derived from two cross-sectional data sets:

• LMS: TEK Labour Market Survey 2015 (10600 respondents, data gathered in October-November 2015)

• EDS: TEK Equality & Diversity Survey 2017 (850 respondents, data gathered in April-May 2017)

• Surveys include quantitative (numerical) and qualitative data (open comments).

• Analysis method applied here is mainly descriptive (percentage shares, crosstabs).

• Open comments were read, grouped into categories according to themes in the comment (content analysis), and counted.

27.12.2017 Susanna Bairoh

@TEK_akateemisetSusanna Bairoh

68 %

I have not observed:

2%

2%

3%

3%

3%

3%

4%

12%

14%

Political opinions or trade union activities

Sexual orientation

Language

Family relationships

Religion

Health or disability

Ethnicity or nationality

Age

Gender

% respondents (TEK EDS 2017)

• Age-based discrimination• Gender-based discrimination• Nationality and language based discrimination

@TEK_akateemisetSusanna Bairoh 512/7/2017

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Age-based, directed to YOUNG Age-based, directed to OLD

less than 30 years 30 - 39 years 40 - 49 years 50 - 59 years 60 years or more

Men

MenWomen

Women

@TEK_akateemiset7.12.2017 6Susanna Bairoh

3% 2,0 %

30%

0,3 %

9%

1,6 %

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Discrimination towards women Discrimination towards men

Has experienced discrimination or unequal treatment at workplace during last 12 months:

Men (n=8220) Women (n=2381) Total

@TEK_akateemiset7.12.2017 7Susanna Bairoh

Age group Has experienced discrimination/unequal treatment

< 30 years (n=362) 30 %

30 - 39 years (n=931) 31 %

40 – 49 years (n=595) 31 %

50 – 59 years (n=381) 26 %

60 years or more (n=112)

28 %

Total (n=2381) 30 %

Position Has experienced discrimination/unequal treatment

Management (n=129) 28 %

Middle management (=403)

36 %

Professional (n=1528) 28 %

Other (n=111) 32 %

Total (n=2171) 30 %

@TEK_akateemiset7.12.2017 8Susanna Bairoh

Sector of employer Has experienced discrimination/unequal treatment

Industrial company (n=703) 36 %

Planning and design (n=317) 31 %

Other private sector (n=598) 26 %

University (n=181) 19 %

Governmental sector (n=167) 22 %

Municipal sector (n=219) 32 %

Total (n=2185) 30 %

@TEK_akateemisetSusanna Bairoh 912/7/2017

Old-fashioned CEO does not appreciate women the same way

as men. Family leaves of women he considers partly as personal insults.

(Man)

It is annoying that I have to prove my ability and competence continuosly to new people. I am a woman, small, yound and kind-looking. Can such a woman work in technology? When they realise that I am capable then it is ok. (Woman)

They don’t take you seriously and consider as less of an expert. (Woman)

Supervisors are men, experts women (Woman)

More experienced woman with better background knowledge was

completely bypassed regarding salary and career advancement.

(Man)

I receive lower salary than my

male pears. (Woman)

@TEK_akateemiset7.12.2017 10Susanna Bairoh

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

tasks

recruitment

unfair treatment, negative attitudes

lack of appreciation, feeling belitled

salary not equal

career advancement

Categorized open comments (number of mentions)*

*only if >10

@TEK_akateemisetSusanna Bairoh 117.12.2017

2%2%3%

7%

20%

31%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

nationality or skin colour linguistic skills

Finnish (n=10522) Swedish (n=311) English (n=155) NB: Responses grouped by language of responding to LMS survey.

@TEK_akateemisetSusanna Bairoh 127.12.2017

Employees from abroad are always paid less.

I have been told by many companies: you are not Finnish, so no work for you.

More difficulties in career advancing due to not being

Finnish national/speaker. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

racism

career advancement

lower salary

treatment

recruitment

Discrimination of foreigners/non-Finnish speaking, number of mentions

@TEK_akateemiset

• Age-based discrimination towards older people seems common in Finnish technology workplaces.– 23 % of all respondents in age group 50-59 years have experienced discrimination and up

to 30 % in age group 60 or more years.

– Women report more experiences of age-based discrimination than men.

• Gender-based discrimination is also alarmingly common in Finnish technology workplaces. – Based on TEK data, discrimination or unfair treatment towards women is most often

related to career advancement.

• Discrimination based on nationality or language, directed towards foreigners or non-Finnish speaking persons, seems common as well.

137.12.2017 Susanna Bairoh

@TEK_akateemiset 147.12.2017 Susanna Bairoh