The Movement For the Advancement of Women's Rights in

by Dr. Riitta Jallinoja

Finland's independent The programs of the women's rights movement women's organizations did originated in 1884 with the not vary a great deal. All founding of Finland'sAs- pursued the right of women sociation of Women. to be gainfully employed Comparable women's or- (an emphasis which at first ganizations were also es- was understood to apply tablished in and only to unmarried women), Norway that same year. the right of access to all The largest segment of the levels of education, more unmarried members were equitable laws governing teachers, a number of marriage, a change in the whom were committed to marital age of from nationalistic and temper- fifteen to eighteen, univer- ance values. The married sal suffrage, and an im- members were wives of proved level of morality in professors or prominent general. Despite theircom- public officials, and their mon goals, co-operation be- husbands were usually tween the three women's connected with nadonal- organizations was non-ex- isticcauses. Thus theFinn- istent due to the deeply felt ish women's rights move- political differences. ment can be seen as having The women's rights emerged from the arms of movement began in the Finnish independence but soon spread to movement. other cities and to the coun- The close relationship try side. The largest num- between the women's ber of the members be- movement and Finnish longed to the middle and political aspirations for upper-classes. Although national independence had there were persistent efforts far reaching consequences. to involve working-class The women's movement women, they felt self-con- became a stage of political scious among the middle- conflicts. It's organization class sisterhood and found was divided first into con- their own place in the servative and progressive Women in Finland obtained the right to vote in 1906. Immigrant women women's labour move- factions, and subsequently continued to agitate for the same rights in Canada. ment, which was estab- the pro-Swedish faction Temperance Society "Pohjankukka" Fort William, Ontario, 191 1. Photo: Thunder Bay Finnish-Canadian Historical Society Collection. lished in 1900. joined the progressives and The total membership of formed the Union League the three organizations of Women's Affairs, of which 10% of the Although the women's movement had reached its peak in 19 18 at approximately membership was male. In 1907, the pro- no formal political affiliations, political 3600 members, about half of whom were gressive segment established the Finnish controversies strongly impacted it and the unmarried. Although the movement's Women'sLeague while the Union contin- Finnish women's rights movement, per- peak period was 1918, its active period ued as an organization for mainly Swed- haps more than any other, became in- ended around 1907 at the time of Fin- ish speaking members. tegrated into political activity. land's first parliamentary elections. In

VOLUME 9, NUMBER 2 9 accordance with the law passed in 1906, with the conservative views. Instead, it feminist associations: The Red Wives women were granted the right to vote and forged close ties with its contemporaries and the Marxist-Feminists. in to hold seats in the parliament. To many which en masse were labelled movements. Finland spread in two ways. On the one women this achievement was quite suf- Among the most important links was the hand, feminists established their own fiCient. From then on women were going one with the peace movement. The or- associations which soon functioned as to participate actively in the arena of true ganization also had ties with two radical information outlets. On the other hand, decision making. Thus many activists literary societies and other socially con- the Union attracted women members in- began establishingwomen's organizations cerned associations. Thus, once again, terested in feminism. In the beginning the within, and subjunctive to national politi- the women's movement proclaimed itself committed feminists found the idea of cal parties. The 1907 parliament elected free ofpolitical affiliations; its single goal anchoring a movement in an organization 19 women members (9.5% of the total), being the improvement of the status of unacceptable. It was seen to be in conflict an impressive achievement when viewed women. Soon after its founding, how- with feminist principles. However, the in its historical context. The largest por- ever, political couplings became timely idea slowly gained support and feminist tion of these elected representatives were concerns. From 1968 onward there was membership in the Union increased. The activists in the women's movement. an increasing need to influence political feminist associations and the Union have After the advent of political franchise, decision making, thuspoliticalparties were been concerned with the same issuespreoc- the women's movement led a relatively seen as appropriate forums. Prior to the cupying feminists movements every- quiet life, even though women's organi- founding of the organization, 72% of where: sexuality, motherhood, mater- zational participation increased in hith- Organization 9 activists had not had nity, women's identity, women's culture, erto unexperienced numbers. The Martha political party affiliations, a figure which rape, sexual harassment, and women's League (founded in 1899) was attracting subsequently declined to 20%. relationships with each other. Some of tens of thousands of women. Its main or- The right of married women to be gain- these questions have been debated pub- ganizational thrust focused on progress in fully employed was a central demand for licly, others have remained part of the the area of domestic labour. The Lotta the improvement of the status of women. inner circle discussions in the interest of Svard, founded in 1921, also attracted A great number of other demands, such as consciousness-raising among members. thousands of women. It was philosophi- availability of daycare facilities, and the The has not viewed cally akin to the newly reactivated Finn- division of domestic labour between the establishment of political links with ish nationalist movement. spouses. Demands were also made for the governing political parties to be as It was not until the 1960s that the more liberated attitudes toward all ques- important as Organization 9did. The three women's movement became truly active tions concerning human sexuality. In the phases of the women's rights movement again. The old organizationshad remained interest of furthering progress in these in Finland have been distinctively differ- alive but their membership had declined. areas, members were actively engaged in ent. However, together they have estab- The average age of their members was organizing public debate and seminars. lished a long and logical road to progress aroundseventy yearsold. Understandably, The women's movement adopted an in- during which the status of women as lib- then, as new generations became inter- vestigative model as its new work format erated and independent human beings has ested in women's issues, new activists and as a large number of its members were assumed its character. needed to establish an organization of students and academics, the choice was their own. Interest in the improvement of appropriate. the status of women gained momentum in The politization of Organization 9 has- 1964 when a group of female university tened its demise. Activists in ever in- students began to voice their dissatisfac- creasing numbers concentrated their work tion with the status of women. In 1965,to- in political and other socially collective gether with a few men, they founded Group bodies. Despite the short life-span of 9, which was to establish an organization Organization 9, its effect was consider- Riitta Jallinoja is a lecturer at the to address the question of equality for able. Its initiatives in the areas of law as University of Helsinki. Her publications women. Organization 9 was founded in governing marriage, daycare, and abor- include several articles on women's stud- 1966. tion led to new, improved laws in 1970, ies and the sociology of the family; The The principal portion of the member- 1973 and 1988 respectively. The organi- Active Periods of The Finnish Women's ship of Organization 9, numbering ap- zation's expressed demand for equal divi- Movements (doctoral dissertation, 1983); proximately 700 in Helsinki, was uni- sion of domestic labour between spouses Family, Work, and Emotions (in co- versity students and graduates. There has met with slow but real progress. operation with Elina Haavio-Mannila and were also a number of editors in the Married women's participation in sala- Harriet Strandell, 1984); Introduction membership,which helped bring women's ried employment has increased from 34% to the Sociology of the Family (1985). questions to the attention of the press, (1950) to 71% (1980). Some of Riitta Jallinoja's articles have radio and television. 28% of the member- The American feminist movement, been published in English, among them: ship was male. The inclusion of men was which began in 1967, gained a foothold in "Independence or Integration. The defended on the premise that male sex Finlandrelatively late, in 1973. hfhenced Women'sMovement andPolitica1 Parties roles were in need of change as well. by and travel abroad, in Finland," Drude Dahlerup, Ed., The Organization 9 wanted to sever all ties Finnish women established their first New Women's Movement,(Sage, 1986).

CANADIAN STUDIESLES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME