Study title

Gender Minorities at Work 2003

Dataset ID Number

FSD2797

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2797
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd2797

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Lehtonen, Jukka P. (University of Helsinki. Department of Behavioural Sciences)
• Mustola, Kati (University of Helsinki. Department of Social Research)

Abstract

Gender Minorities at Work 2003 explored the work-related circumstances and experiences of gender minorities in Finland. People belonging to gender minorities were asked about their education, work history, workplace and its atmosphere, experiences of discrimination and openness about their belonging to a gender minority. The study was part of the EQUAL Initiative funded by the European Social Fund and Ministry of Employment, Finland whose aim was to chart and improve the labour market position of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans people.

The respondents were first asked background information such as what their biological sex at birth had been, what their psychological gender was, which definition they preferred to use of themselves, whether they expressed their gender through appearance and clothing, to whom they had told about their belonging to a gender minority and how these people had reacted, and which definition they used of their sexual orientation.

The respondents were asked questions relating to their education and work history such as educational and career choices based on negative or positive attitudes toward gender minorities in a certain field, total number of years in employment, job changes in the previous five years and whether job change had been affected by negative attitudes toward gender minorities in the workplace. Relating to the current or latest job the respondents were asked, for example, how long they had had the job, whether they were working part time or full time, whether their contract was permanent or temporary, how many employees there were at the workplace and how many of them women, whether there was social pressure at the workplace for them to express their expected gender or hide their true gender, whether their immediate supervisor was a man or woman and how often they saw their co-workers during their leisure time.

Openness about belonging to a gender minority was charted with questions on whether there were other people belonging to gender minorities at the workplace and whether it mattered to the respondents, how many co-workers and clients, students etc. knew of the respondents' gender identity, how people at the workplace had found out about it. Those who hid their gender identity at the workplace were asked how distressing they felt the hiding and fear of revealing themselves was.

Atmosphere at work was investigated with several questions relating to support received at work, expectations of others, conflicts or violence at the workplace and bullying and harassment. Different kinds of work-related threats perceived by the respondents were examined as well as factors influencing their coping at work (e.g. strict/flexible gender roles, general atmosphere).

The final section of the questionnaire focused on discrimination at work. The questions included topics such as discrimination of different groups at the workplace, the respondents' personal experiences of discrimination in different situations and readiness to contact different authorities in case of discrimination.

To enable comparisons, some of the questions are the same as in the Quality of work life surveys of Statistics Finland and the annual Finnish Working Life Barometers of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, Finland. Background variables included, among others, the respondent's year of birth, mother tongue, nationality, relationship status, province of residence and type of municipality of residence.

Keywords

career; discrimination; employees; equal opportunity; gender; gender identity; labour and employment; minority groups; occupational life; social inequality; transgender people

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Minorities (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Gender and gender roles (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Working conditions (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (C) available only for research including master's theses.

Data Collector

• Lehtonen, Jukka P. (University of Helsinki. Department of Behavioural Sciences)
• Mustola, Kati (University of Helsinki. Department of Social Research)

Data Producers

• University of Helsinki. Department of Sociology
• Seta
• National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health

Time Period Covered

2002 – 2003

Collection Dates

2002 – 2003-02-28

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People aged over 18 who identify themselves as belonging to a gender minority and who are working or have worked in Finland

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Availability

Non-probability: Respondent-assisted

The sample was collected using the so-called snowball sampling. Questionnaires and info leaflets about the study were distributed in events aimed at sexual and gender minorities. People were also requested to notify their acquaintances about the study. The study was widely advertised on email lists and in magazines and papers of professional associations and those directed at sexual and gender minorities.

Snowball sampling does not produce a fully representative sample of the target population, but because of the small size of the target population it was feasible as a method.

Participating in the study was possible by filling in either a paper questionnaire or a questionnaire on the Internet. There were 111 respondents, approximately half of whom filled in the online questionnaire. Both Finnish and Swedish questionnaires were available.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Self-administered questionnaire: Web-based (CAWI)

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

2.0

Related Datasets

FSD2796 Sexual Minorities at Work 2003

FSD2818 Sexual Minorities at Work 2003: Open-ended Responses

FSD2819 Gender Minorities at Work 2003: Open-ended Responses

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

During the archiving process, a variable containing contact information has been removed. The open-ended responses in the dataset are incomplete. The complete open-ended responses of those respondents who filled in the online questionnaire are available as a separate qualitative dataset FSD2819 (in Finnish).

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Lehtonen, Jukka P. (University of Helsinki) & Mustola, Kati (University of Helsinki): Gender Minorities at Work 2003 [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2018-07-26). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD2797

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Materials

Eihän heterotkaan kerro. Seksuaalisuuden ja sukupuolen rajankäyntiä työelämässä (2004). Toim. Lehtonen, Jukka & Mustola, Kati. Helsinki: Työministeriö. ESR Tutkimukset ja selvitykset; 2/04. Saatavilla: http://www.rakennerahastot.fi/rakennerahastot/tiedostot/esr_julkaisut_2000_2006/tutkimukset_ja_selvitykset/03_02-04_eihan_heterokaan_kerro_seksuaalisuuden_ja_sukupuolen_rajakayntia_tyoelamassa_fi.pdf [viitattu 8.1.2013].

Related Publications

Eihän heterotkaan kerro. Seksuaalisuuden ja sukupuolen rajankäyntiä työelämässä (2004). Toim. Lehtonen, Jukka & Mustola, Kati. Helsinki: Työministeriö. ESR Tutkimukset ja selvitykset; 2/04. Saatavilla: http://www.rakennerahastot.fi/rakennerahastot/tiedostot/esr_julkaisut_2000_2006/tutkimukset_ja_selvitykset/03_02-04_eihan_heterokaan_kerro_seksuaalisuuden_ja_sukupuolen_rajakayntia_tyoelamassa_fi.pdf [viitattu 4.2.2013].

Straight people don't tell, do they? Negotiating the boundaries of sexuality and gender at work (2004). Eds. Lehtonen, Jukka & Mustola, Kati. Helsinki: Ministry of Labour. ESF Research Reports; 2b/04. Saatavilla: http://www.rakennerahastot.fi/rakennerahastot/tiedostot/esr_julkaisut_2000_2006/tutkimukset_ja_selvitykset/03_02b-04_eihan_heterokaan_kerro_seksuaalisuuden_ja_sukupuolen_rajakayntia_tyoelamassa_en.pdf [viitattu 4.2.2013].

Lehtonen, Jukka (2010). Gendered Post-Compulsory Educational Choices of Non-Heterosexual Youth. European Educational Research Journal, 9 (2): 177-191.

Lehtonen, Jukka (2009). The diverse intimate relationships of non-heterosexual Finnish men. NORMA, Nordic Journal of Masculinity Studies, 4 (1): 66-82.

Lehtonen, Jukka (2008). Career Choices of Lesbian Women. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 12(1): 97-102.

Lehtonen, Jukka (2009). Ei-heteroseksuaaliset nuoret, heteronormatiivisuus ja koulun keskeyttäminen. Kasvatus, 40 (5): 465-474.

Lehtonen, Jukka (2009). Sukupuolimoninaiset ei-heteroseksuaaliset työntekijät. Naistutkimus, 22 (4): 61-64.

Lehtonen, Jukka (2006). Family and Work. The View Pont of Sexual and Gender Diversity. In Possibilities and Challengies? Men´s Reconciliation of Work and Family Life. Conference Report. APN 2006:704. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers.

Lehtonen, Jukka (2004). Heteronormatiivisuus ja sukupuolityylit työelämässä. Näkökulmana seksuaali- ja sukupuolivähemmistöihin kuuluvien kokemukset. Teoksessa Toiviainen, Hanna & Väänänen, Tuula & Hemminki, Elina (toim.): Ulkonäkö, työelämä, terveys. Aiheita 20. Helsinki: STAKES. 41-47.

Lehtonen, Jukka (2006). Seksuaali- ja sukupuolivähemmistöt Suomen kunnissa. Keinoja ja ideoita yhdenvertaisuuden tueksi. Helsinki: Työministeriö. Tutkimukset ja selvitykset 8/06

Lehtonen, Jukka (2017) Hankala kysymys. Intersukupuolisuus suomalaisissa koulu- ja työelämätutkimuksissa. Sukupuolentutkimus 30:1, 71-75.

Recker, J., & Perry, A. (2024). Data on the Margins - Data from LGBTIQ+ Populations in European Social Science Data Archives. Data Science Journal 23(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2024-039