NCJ Number
218946
Journal
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: 2007 Pages: 22-40
Date Published
2007
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study explored trends in violence in the workplace in Finland.
Abstract
Results reveal that violence at work has increased over the past 10 years in Finland, particularly among women. In fact, workplace violence resulting in physical injuries has actually decreased among men. Women, on the other hand, reported an increase in concerns related to violence within the workplace while their concerns regarding vulnerabilities to other types of crimes such as sexual harassment and burglary has decreased. The author suggests that these results may be a function of the changing nature of the occupational structure of the Finnish labor force. Previously, Finland was dominated by industrial work, which was largely inaccessible to strangers. Now, with the growth of the health care, education, and social work sectors in Finland, women workers are coming into direct contact with unknown clients, increasing their risk of violence exposure. Data were drawn from Finnish national victimization surveys from 1980, 1988, 1993, 1997, and 2003, conducted by Statistics Finland. Participants totaled 28,545 individuals who were systematically sampled using the Finnish population database. Participants completed telephone interviews regarding experiences of workplace violence. Data were also drawn from ad hoc surveys that were attached to the Finnish labor force survey in 1999, in which over 20,000 individuals in the labor force were interviewed via telephone regarding violent victimization at work. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Figures, tables, footnotes, references