Discrimination Against Men at Work: Experiences in Five Countries

Abstract

While discrimination against women at work has long been a mainstream topic in research literature, only marginal attention has been paid to discrimination against men. A number of factors may be responsible for this, including change in traditional occupational roles, cultural perceptions of the ‘natures’ of men and women, and men’s own perception (or lack of perception) of discrimination. This short report investigates whether men face discrimination based on sex in the workplace. It looks at the results of Eurofound’s 2015 European Working Conditions Survey and then examines cases from five countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, France and the UK). Discrimination is examined in such areas as recruitment, education, healthcare-related services, working time and parenting, and sexual harassment. The cases demonstrate that men do indeed experience discrimination because of their sex. The cases appear to be more concentrated in female-dominated contexts and in instances of adjustment of working time in relation to parental duties.