Understanding Minority Stress

Reflections from event hosted by Bufdir, Pride House, Oslo June 2024. Norwegian research by SINTEF opening up intersectional approaches to addressing discrimination.

Reflections from the event hosted by Bufdir, Pride House, Oslo 24.06.2024

Oslo Pride brought down the house this year – if you were at the Pride Parade this year I am sure you would agree. This year for Pride, Oslo Kommune pulled out all the stops. June in Oslo was full of events, talks, engagements, mini-festivals, parties and of course the Pride Parade on the 29th June.

The most memorable event we attended was hosted by BUFDIR with SINTEF AS:

Lansering av rapporten «Erfaringer med minoritetsstress”.

This event included a presentation on the core findings of a Norwegian report on the impact of minority-stress in the workplace focusing on intersectional identities (BIPOC, LGBTQ+).

Minority Stress is a concept that refers to the unique stress experienced by individuals from marginalised groups due to societal discrimination, prejudice and systematic inequalities. It encompasses external stressors, expectations of rejection, and internalized stigma. Stress responses can manifest psychologically, leading to anxiety and depression, and may also impact physical health and behaviour.

This definition comes from INTERFEM Sweden – a non-profit association which believes that understanding and addressing Minority Stress is crucial for promoting well-being and creating supportive environments for marginalised individuals.

One of the obstacles to efforts of specialist #DEI associations such as INTERFEM Norge has been the lack of research and case studies from Norwegian research institutions. As Nina Bahar (Communications Advisor, Municipality of Oslo, INTERFEM Norge board-member) commented:

This research isn’t telling us anything new, we already know what minority stress is and how it impacts us. But now we have a report that can translate it to others.

In summary, the report by SINTEF highlights how minority stress is a distinct risk factor for many mental and physical health issues in the workplace, such as anxiety and depression. Researchers argue even more research is needed to understand the nuances of the Norwegian context today.

However, the SINTEF report (2023) is sufficient to make the case for societal (and employer) responsibility to address this inequality of experience. We have just over 5 years to demonstrate that Norway is capable of meeting its commitments to the UN Agenda 2023. Currently the SDG Index shows that Norway’s ranking for SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth is still in the orange zone. Ensuring intersectional experiences are addressed and not just focusing on the low-lying fruit of gender in isolation of ethnicity and other forms of discrimination is critical.

The experts (DEI advisors, mental health professionals, public health advisors, researchers) are saying that an intersectional consideration of discrimination, bias and exclusion of minorities is essential. Many women still experience discrimination in the work place, but being a woman is not being a minority. Addressing subconscious bias, racism, and discrimination should not be on the shoulders of individuals who are racialised and discriminated against.

SINTEF researchers explained that the data shows a pattern of negative outcomes:, such as: poor self-esteem – social isolation due to lack of support – heightened mood volatility – relationship problems – increased substance misuse.

The responses of people experiencing minority stress over a protracted amount of time can be seen to have two main responses:

Response (-):

  • Hiding minority identity, trying to blend in, not attract attention, hide/don’t socialise, isolate, increasing poor self-esteem and higher chances of risky sexual behaviour.

Response (+):

  • people with more agency are drawn to activism to compensate for the lack of services and support.
  • The study found that some choose to stand up and fight for their rights (at work, at home and in society).

NB: in the work place this positive response often takes extra energy, risks and effort which is often ignored by employers/colleagues.

The panelists: Skeivt kristent nettverk; Senter for likestilling ved Universitetet i Agder; Skeiv Verden; and psychologist specialist Winnie Nyheim-Jomisko – clarified what this research means in practice:

  • Perceived discrimination is often accumulated and internalised by individuals who are minorities in the workplace.
  • Curiously, the study analysed where stresses were coming from not just who experiences them
  • Evidence that discrimination often comes from partners, peers, colleagues and wider society
  • Minority stress is found to affect individuals and couples

The panel spoke about the kind of advice and guidance needed to improve information about how to self-care and manage your own self-image. Dr Nyheim-Jomisko explained that:

Learning how to self-care is essential to prevent minority stress from affecting your self-belief in your competencies, skills and ability to thrive in the workplace or in your personal relationships.

The finalcall to action from the panelists was:

  1. Share the knowledge – use the research it’s the first of its kind in Norway
  2. Take initiative – check the policies at your workplace
  3. Create more tools/solutions for how we implement best-practice in the workplace
  4. Design more courses on behavioural change to improve the experiences of minorities in Norway
  5. Finally, political lobbying is crucial.

In summary our 3 take-aways from the day are:

1. Core finding: intersectionality adds complexity leading to unique challenges

2. Minority stress factors can come from partners & peers with cumilative effects over time

3. Do more of what works: pride, pushing for change, spread minority joy – minoritetsglede

Unlimiter Spotlight

Unlimiter Suad Abdi founder of MIO has the impressive task of measuring the social impact of cultural-competency training in the field of dual-diagnosis (addiction and mental health) support services. Suad is a lighthouse, bringing expertise and direct services where it’s needed the most. MIO is a social enterprise supported by Tøyen Unlimitedproviding 1-2-1 and group support for recovery from long-term health problems for residents of East African origins.