GENDER Did You Know? in Finland, Families Are Provided with Support to Combine Work EQUALITY and Family Life
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GENDER Did you know? In Finland, families are provided with support to combine work EQUALITY and family life. Children are guaranteed good preconditions with a comprehensive child health care system and the right to day care, school health care and school lunches. IN FINLAND The views expressed herein are solely those of the authors. E-mail: [email protected] For free reference use. Freedom of choice enhances quality of life Equality brings prosperity Content Finland has led the way in gender to promote equality in schools and 04 FORERUNNERS equality with other Nordic countries for workplaces. While many glass ceilings 08 FAMILY STORIES decades and is today one of the most have been broken, there is still a lot to do 16 EQUALITY IN NUMBERS equal countries in the world. Various and accomplish in the field of equality. 18 INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN high international rankings in equality for The gender pay gap still exists and men 26 EQUAL EDUCATION Finland are no coincidence – many brave use only a fraction of parental leave. 28 EDUTECH PIONEER men and women have fought for equality Our labour market is heavily divided into 30 EQUALITY CHALLENGES in education, politics and working life. women’s and men’s occupations. 32 DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION Gender equality is one of the core Equality cannot be taken for granted 34 EQUALITY TODAY values of the Finnish society. There is – it can also be challenged. There is reason to believe that Finland would not still room for improvement before be one of the most advanced countries everyone has the possibility to fulfil their in the world had it not been for its strong full potential. Finland is a trusted and commitment to equality. committed partner in finding solutions to Women participate in working life on these challenges. an equal footing with men and our day care system makes it easier for parents Jukka Maarianvaara to balance work and life. Nowadays, the The Ombudsman for Equality Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, 2018. majority of university students are women. Text: Otavamedia OMA, Päivi Brink, Päivi Leinonen, Marina The number of female CEOs and board Ahlberg and Aino Krohn. members of listed companies has grown Production: Otavamedia OMA Freedom to follow Layout design: Otavamedia OMA, Linda Macken steadily for many years. Cover: Vesa Tyni. your own aspirations Finland has strong legislation to Photos: Finland Image Bank, Business Finland, Otavamedia, combat discrimination – and an obligation The Picture Collections of the Finnish Heritage Agency. Forerunners The grand old lady of Finnish literature: Minna Canth First women in ne of the first authors to write in Finnish, criticised by conservatives for writing, for example, Parliament 1907 Minna Canth (1844–97) is celebrated as about adultery. Her work has, however, also been O a pioneer of women’s rights in Finland. eye opening for many readers for decades. She wrote plays, novellas and short stories portray- Canth was not only a writer. She was a n 1906, the Finnish Parliament became the ing women from versatile backgrounds. businesswoman, journalist and a mother of seven first in the world to allow all women to run She gave a voice to working class women children. She had her own draper’s shop in Kuopio I for office. All adult women were eligible through her work. She refused to portray poor where she lived with her family. She actively took to stand as candidates in national elections. people idealistically. She took her stylistic part in associations supporting women’s rights and Universal and equal suffrage was enacted inspiration from the realist and naturalist literary the role of the Finnish language. in Finland in 1906 and the first elections for movements of her time. In her play The Labour- Minna Canth was the first woman in Finland to the new unicameral Parliament were held in er’s Wife (1885), she showed how an alcoholic be honoured with a flag day. On 19 March, Finland 1907. The percentage of female Members of husband’s rights over his wife and her earnings celebrates her birthday and gender equality by Parliament was greatest from 2011 to 2015, The photo shows 13 of the 19 women elected to Parliament in 1907. lead the whole family to ruin. Canth was strongly raising the Finnish flag. © The Finnish Heritage Agency when 85 women (42.5%) were elected. Photo: Photographic Studio J. Indurski / Feminist Association Unioni IT TAKES JUST ONE BRAVE FORERUNNER. 1870 1878 1882 1895 1905 1918 1926 1927 1938 1942 Marie Rosina Heikel Emma Irene Karolina Eskelin Jenny Markelin Agnes Sjöberg Miina Sillanpää Alma Söderhjelm Eugenie Lisitzin Eeva Lindén Tschetschulin Licentiate of Medicine Åström Doctor of Medical Road and bridge con- Doctor of Veterinary Minister of the Gov- Professor Doctorate in Physics Doctorate in the Matriculation Master of Arts Science struction engineer Medicine — the first ernment, influential Finnish language examination woman in Europe trailblazer 4 Forerunners 5 The first female government minister: The first female president of the Sámi Parliament of Finland: Miina Sillanpää Tiina Sanila-Aikio iina Sillanpää (1866–1952) was among found the Servants’ Association, taking over as omen and men are equal in Sámi people in Finland. Ten of the Parliament’s the first 19 women elected to Parlia- director in 1901 – a post she would hold for half a the Sámi culture. Traditionally, 21 members are women. M ment in 1907. During her 38 years as a century. ”Wwe have separate work tasks “I have been active in Sámi politics since I Member of Parliament, Sillanpää worked tirelessly In the 1930s, she helped start an organisation for women and men, but these days everyone was fifteen years old. During my working career to promote the social issues she believed in. She that provided shelters for single women and their can choose what work they want to do. Women’s as a rock musician in the Tiina Sanila Band and continuously supported measures to improve the children, overcoming long-time cultural resistance roles are important in many ways, for example, as a Skolt Sámi teacher, I also worked to benefit position of women in society. From 1926 to 1927, to the idea. She was a determined and effective in exchanging knowledge between generations. the Sámi community. Nevertheless, some people she served as Minister of Social Affairs, becoming fighter for improvements to the lives of the dis Nowadays, women are often educated and their thought that I was too young to become the Pres- Finland’s first female government minister. advantaged and the elderly, motivated by her work can generate extra income for the family on ident of the Sámi Parliament in my thirties. There Sillanpää’s parents were poor and she had values of fairness and equality. top of traditional income sources like fishing and was talk about the fact that I am a young woman. eight siblings. She started working in a cotton Finnish flags are hoisted on 1 October in reindeer herding,” Sanila-Aikio explains. I think I was elected despite these doubts because mill at the age of 12. Later, she moved to Helsinki memory of her contributions. In 2015, Tiina Sanila-Aikio was the first woman of my political activity, language skills, cultural to work as a domestic aide. In 1898, she helped to be elected as President of the Sámi Parliament, work and large network,” Sanila-Aikio says. © The Finnish Heritage Agency Heritage © The Finnish © Lehtikuva the supreme political body of the indigenous 1955 1958 1961 1976 1988 1990 1992 1994 2000 2000 2003 2010 Liisi Oterma Vieno Rajaoja Inkeri Anttila Sirpa Rautio The first 94 Elisabeth Rehn Sirkka Hämäläinen Riitta Uosukainen Tarja Halonen Titta Lindqvist Anneli Jäätteenmäki Irja Askola Doctorate in Doctorate in Professor Municipal manager women were Minister of Defence Director of the Bank Speaker of Parliament President of Officer, senior Prime Minister Bishop in the Astronomy Economics of Law ordained as priests of Finland the Republic lieutenant Evangelical Lutheran Church 6 Forerunners 7 Family stories Happy to be equal: Together for 27 years iina Pelkonen, 62, and Jussi-Petteri and 1983 to 1991. Her two sons were born during (Pete) Nurmi, 64, have been togeth- her second marriage. T er since 1991. They decided not to get “I was just 21 when I first got married and we married since they had both been married twice got divorced as friends. I have a good relationship before. They have one adult daughter together with my second husband as well and he’s a good and Tiina has two older sons. father to our sons. We shared the childcare duties “When I was growing up, my parents were equally when the boys were small. One of the rea- both active in working life. My mother was a copy sons we got divorced was that he didn’t support writer and my father was a journalist. They were my idea of quitting my job to re-educate myself,” politically active and our home was always filled Tiina says. with animated discussion. Equality was something I Tiina worked as a theatre secretary before she took for granted as a child,” Pete says. had her sons, but after her maternity leave, she Tiina’s father, who was also a journalist, died decided to do media studies. when she was young. “First I worked at a local free newspaper. In “My mother was a dressmaker. She had a 1999, I started working for my current employer, strong character and my parents made their a communications agency, as a journalist and decisions together. I had a happy childhood,” Tiina sub-editor. Our boys’ day care was well organised recollects. when they were small,” Tiina says.