About 20 percent of women aged 20–39 have experienced discrimination at work or when looking for a job during the past year, according to the wide-ranging Healthy Finland Survey conducted by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
The study indicated that 16 percent of all women and 11 percent of all men had experienced discrimination at work or when looking for a job within the past year.
"Younger age groups include more diversity, which may expose them to discrimination. Employers may still assume that young women will take family leave, which can also expose them to discrimination. In addition, younger generations may recognise and be more aware of discrimination than older people," research professor Anu Castaneda said in a THL press release on Thursday. Castaneda is a research manager and head of the THL's Migration and Cultural Diversity Team.
The study focused on discrimination based on characteristics such as age, gender identity, skin colour, disability, appearance, sexual orientation or religious convictions.
According to Castaneda, experiences of discrimination must be actively dealt with in workplaces, service situations and everyday encounters.
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Loneliness has become more common
The research also explored the experiences of inclusion and loneliness. More than one-tenth of respondents said they experienced loneliness. This corresponds to more than half a million adults in Finland.
The highest levels of loneliness were among the youngest adults and people over age 75.
The results indicate that experiences of loneliness became more common from 2018 to 2022. This is partly but not entirely attributable to the pandemic, said Castaneda.
"In the background, there is probably a wider transition in that we have moved away from communality towards a more individual-oriented way of living and thinking," she suggested.
Young Finnish men in particular said they felt weak societal inclusion. The experience of inclusion means feelings of belonging and meaning, controllability of life and confidence in the future.
The survey was carried out in autumn 2022 and spring 2023. The survey was answered by 28,000 randomly selected people over the age of 20 from various parts of Finland. Only those aged 20-74 were asked about discrimination in working life.
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