Relevant concepts

Gender equality and mainstreaming

Gender equality means that women and men have the same rights, obligations and opportunities in all areas of life. Gender equality is a political concept that emphasizes equality between the sexes. Gender mainstreaming means that a gender perspective must be incorporated into all activities that affect people's rights, conditions and opportunities. This is done by making visible the unequal power relations that exist between women and men, girls and boys. 

Sweden’s Six Gender Equality Policy Sub-goals: 

1. Equal division of power and influence 

2. Economic equality 

3. Equal education 

4. Equal distribution of unpaid domestic and care work 

5. Equal health
    
6. Men's violence against women must stop

Always gender but not only gender

Neither women nor men constitute uniform groups. Our opportunities are also affected by which socio-economic group we belong to, where we live, as well as the different grounds of discrimination (which in addition to gender consist of transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation and age). 

In the work for gender equality, it is therefore important to reflect on how all these categories interact with each other. Only then is it possible to understand how it creates different conditions for different groups or individuals. 

Sweden currently recognises two legal genders: female and male. Gender equality policy is generally based on these and it provides the basis for how gender-disaggregated statistics are presented. However, it is important to keep in mind that not everyone identifies with this binary.

What is violence?

Violence can be defined in many different ways. Almost all forms of violence constitute criminal acts. There are also acts that are not defined as crimes under current legislation, but which are 
carried out to exercise power and control, and to intimidate and threaten. These actions create vulnerability and are therefore also considered violence. Behind all violence there is an intention. Using different forms of violence is an effective way of exercising power and control because the violence intimidates and harms the victim. 

Violence, regardless of whether it is men's violence against women, intimate partner violence or honour-related violence and oppression, can be physical, psychological, sexual, digital and more. By having more knowledge about how violence can be expressed, it is also easier to detect. Sometimes, it is just one form of violence that is exercised, other times the act of violence can include several forms of violence. However, the purpose of all acts of violence is the same: to exercise power and control. 

Men's violence against women

The concept of men's violence against women makes it clear that violence is a gender equality issue, where men's overrepresentation among perpetrators of violence is seen as a result of, and a contributing factor to, the unequal distribution of power and influence in society. 

The violence which women are generally subjected to differs in several ways from the violence that men are generally exposed to. This applies to where the violence is perpetrated and what relationship the victim has to the perpetrator. Women are to a greater extent exposed to sexual violence and aggravated physical violence from an intimate partner, compared to men. Men are more exposed than women to violence in public environments, mainly by other men. 

Sweden´s National Strategy to Prevent and Combat Men's Violence against Women includes domestic violence, honour-related violence and oppression, as well as prostitution and trafficking in human beings for sexual purposes. 

Honour-related violence and oppression

Honour-related violence and oppression are linked to honour-related norms that are based on patriarchal and heteronormative beliefs. That is, that men are the norm, that there are two genders, and that these genders are different and should complement each other. Violence and oppression are often perpetrated by several persons, individually or jointly, within the immediate family, including parents, siblings, relatives or other family acquaintances. 

Girls and women are the main victims, but boys and men can also be exposed to violence and oppression. Both men and women can be perpetrators of violence. Sometimes the same person is both a perpetrator and a victim of violence. This applies especially to boys and young men, who may be forced to monitor their sisters or other female family members and cousins, against their will. Other forms of oppression and violence, such as restrictions in living space or not being able to choose one's partner, also occurs. 

Perpetrators of violence and victims of violence

Anyone can be a perpetrator or a victim of violence, regardless of gender. In the case of domestic violence, it is most common that it is a man who abuses a woman. However, the vulnerability differs. Compared to men, women are to a greater extent exposed to aggravated physical violence and to a greater extent need to seek medical care for the violence they have been subjected to. 

Domestic violence

When someone is subjected to violence by a person they have or have had a close and trusting relationship to, it is called domestic violence. The perpetrator of violence can be a partner, parent, sibling, adult children or grandchildren. It can also be people whom the victim is dependent upon for their health and care. When we talk of domestic violence, we include all types of relationships, same-sex relationships, and various forms of family and kinship-based relationships. 

Systematic work environment management

Systematic work environment management is about organising, evaluating and following up your activities to create a good work environment. Systematic work environment management is a legal requirement that all employers must comply with. In Sweden, this is regulated in the Swedish Work Environment Act from the Swedish Work Environment Authority. Conducting systematic work environment management with a focus on domestic violence is one way to prevent ill-health.

Systematic work environment management is often described as a wheel, i.e. it is a constantly ongoing process in four steps: examine, risk assessment, remediate, and follow-up. Therefore, the wheel is a good tool for including dom violence in the existing systematic 
work environment management. 

All health and safety conditions