Survey: nearly one in five women says domestic abuse has affected her work performance

A survey commissioned by the President Kaljulaid Foundation and carried out by Norstat has found that 83 per cent of Estonians consider domestic abuse a significant societal problem. At the same time, the role of the workplace in preventing and reducing domestic abuse is seen as increasingly important.

Eighteen per cent of women surveyed admitted that domestic abuse has affected their work performance. The same was reported by ten per cent of men. Five per cent of Estonians have had to miss work because of domestic abuse.

“This means there are tens of thousands of people around us who have had to take sick leave, a health day, or otherwise step away from their work duties because of abusive relationship,” said Triin Adamson, Head of the Employers Against Domestic Abuse Initiative established by the President Kaljulaid Foundation. Women on lower incomes and women living in smaller towns were more likely to have missed work due to domestic abuse.

Adamson added that domestic abuse can affect people’s ability to concentrate, their creativity, adherence to deadlines, work quality and work outcomes. “All of this also has an economic impact – and unfortunately, in Estonia we do not yet have a clear picture of it,” she noted.

Previous analyses have shown that employers bear roughly half of the economic losses caused by domestic abuse. “This is also why, a year ago, together with the President Kaljulaid Foundation, we decided to involve employers in this discussion and launched the Employers Against Domestic Abuse initiative. Today, 19 companies have already joined the initiative, together employing more than 25,000 people – nearly four per cent of Estonia’s entire working-age population,” Adamson said.

Among those who have joined the initiative is Swedbank. Liisa Maria Lees, Head of the Bank’s People and Support Division, noted that based on statistics, among their 2,700 employees there are likely to be both victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse. “A person’s life is a whole – problems at home affect one’s sense of security, mental wellbeing and capacity to work far more than we often acknowledge. The role of the employer is to notice and support, especially when a victim struggles to seek help themselves. At Swedbank, this is a natural part of building a safe and caring work culture. We believe that every person has the right to freedom, safety and dignity,” Lees said.

The results of the survey carried out by Norstat in October show that Estonians increasingly believe the workplace plays an important role in preventing and reducing domestic abuse. More than half (57%) of respondents think it is important for their employer to pay attention to supporting victims of domestic abuse and to introduce measures that help victims escape the cycle of violence – up from 51 per cent a year ago. Only 16 per cent of respondents said it was not important for their employer to address this issue.

The survey commissioned by the President Kaljulaid Foundation was carried out by Norstat in October 2025 and included responses from 1,000 people aged 18–74.