Anti-discrimination laws

Every person in Sweden is legally protected from discrimination, both in public and in the workplace. On a daily basis, this means that people expect to be treated with respect, regardless of their beliefs or appearance.

As a rule, Swedish law forbids discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation or functional disabilities. At work, the laws apply to all employers, employees and candidates, regardless of whether or not the discrimination is intentional.

In serious cases, workplace discrimination might involve unfair treatment in terms of wages, employment conditions, promotion opportunities or direct harassment.
If someone is accused of discrimination, the employer is responsible for investigating the situation and taking appropriate measures. If a law is broken, an employer may then be required to pay damages.

However, Swedish culture can often be as effective as the law in preventing discrimination. Sexist or racist jokes, for example, are not tolerated. As a nation, Sweden prides itself on equality, so even the slightest suggestion that a person is less valuable, or that a woman might not be able to perform a certain kind of work, is considered very offensive to many people.

As a further protection of equality rights, employees may not be punished for filing a report of discrimination. It is therefore important for all employees to be aware of the specific laws that apply, and to know which authorities are responsible for making sure that their rights are upheld. The central government authority for this is the Discrimination Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen), also known as DO.