Gender Equality in Finland

Gender Equality in Finland Promoting gender equality

requires taking into account not
Gender equality is regarded as a fundamental human right and a
core value in Finland. The Finnish Government is committed to only gender but also factors such
promoting gender equality in all its decision-making. The purpose as age, ethnic background and
of the Finnish Equality Act is to promote gender equality and to sexual orientation.
prevent discrimination based on gender, gender identity or
expression of gender.

In Finland, all children attend school for at least nine years, and
they do so in mixed classes. They also receive free lunch at school.
The level of education of women is higher than that of men, and
women represent more than half of all university graduates.
Women and men are equally represented in the Finnish labour INFORMATION ON
market. This is supported by individual taxation of spouses, the GENDER EQUALITY
provision of affordable and high-quality public child care, and an • Centre for Gender Equality
extensive family leave system. The aim of the policies is to Information (National Insti-
encourage fathers to make full use of the family leaves they are tute for Health and Welfare)
entitled. The division of the labour market into men’s and women’s The Centre is a national
jobs, professions and tasks is particularly strong in Finland. The information service that offers
gender pay gap in the Finnish labour market is also still a big issue. updated, research-based
information on gender equality.
Women have a long tradition of participating in national and local www.thl.fi/gender-equality
politics in Finland. In recent years, more than 40 per cent of [email protected]
Members of Parliament have been women, and in municipal
councils women account for nearly 40 per cent of councillors.
Gender quotas are applied in various planning and preparation
bodies at governmental, municipal and inter-municipal level.
However, quotas do not apply in elections. In economic decision-
making, women are underrepresented in Finland and there are
substantially fewer women in top corporate positions than men.
 PUBLIC AUTHORITIES
PROMOTING GENDER
EQUALITY IN FINLAND
• Ministry of Social Affairs and
Health: Gender Equality Unit
The Unit prepares and
implements the Finnish
Government’s gender equality
policy and develops gender
equality legislation.
www.stm.fi/en/gender-equality
[email protected]
• Council for Gender Equality
(TANE)
The Council is a parliamentary
council working to promote
gender equality in Finnish
There are differences between women and men in health society.
and wellbeing. For example, the average life expectancy www.tane.fi/en/frontpage
of men is several years lower than that of women. [email protected]
However, there are significant differences in health and
• Ombudsman for Equality
wellbeing among men, based on social and educational status
The Ombudsman is responsible
and income. Among women, single mothers and older
for supervising compliance with
women are especially affected by poverty.
the Act on Equality between
Women and Men. The
Violence against women is a serious human rights violation
Ombudsman instructs and
and a notable gender equality problem in Finland. Apart from
advises in matters pertaining
the human suffering involved, the cost of violence for society
to the Act.
at large is significant.
www.tasa-arvo.fi/web/en
[email protected]
Finland’s strengths:
• Women’s high participation in the labour market • National Non-Discrimination
• High level of education of women and Equality Tribunal
• Support for reconciliation of work and family The Tribunal supervises
• Tradition of women’s participation in political compliance with the
decision-making Non-Discrimination Act and
• Tools made available for promoting gender equality the Act on Equality between
Women and Men both in
Finland’s challenges: private activities and in public
• Gender pay gap administrative and commercial
• Gender stereotypes activities.
• Gender segregation in education and the labour market www.yvtltk.fi/en/index.html
• Violence against women [email protected]
• Health and welfare inequalities among men
 Milestones of gender equality in Finland

1878 Equal hereditary rights for men and women

1906 Finnish women are the first in Europe to obtain suffrage in national elections
and the first in the world to obtain the right to stand as candidates

1917 Women and men obtain universal suffrage in local government elections

1926 First female minister in Government: Miina Sillanpää, Assistant Minister for
Social Affairs

1930 A new Marriage Act takes effect: guardianship over wives by their husbands is
abolished and wives are given the right to own property in their own name

1943 Statutory school meals

1944 Act on Prenatal and Child Health Clinics

1961 Use of the contraceptive pill is accepted

1962 Finland ratifies the ILO’s Equal Remuneration Convention, calling for equal
pay for work of equal value

1970 Act on the Interruption of Pregnancy: abortion is allowed for social reasons

1973 Day-Care Act takes effect

1978 Right of parents to divide parental leave entitlement between them

1980 First Government Action Plan for Gender Equality

1986 Names Act, under which a woman getting married may keep her surname
and the surname of either parent can be given to a child

1987 Act on Equality between Women and Men is adopted (Equality Act)

1994 Rape within marriage is criminalised

1995 Voluntary military service becomes a possibility for women

1996 Children obtain the subjective right to municipal day care until school age

2000 First woman President of Finland: Tarja Halonen

2003 First woman prime minister: Anneli Jäätteenmäki

2010 First female bishop in Evangelical Lutheran Church:

Irja Askola, Diocese of Helsinki

2015 Non-discrimination of gender minorities included in Equality Act

2015 Equal Marriage Act

2015 Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against

women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) enters into force

More gender equality milestones in Finland: https://www.thl.fi/en/web/gen-

der-equality/promoting-gender-equality/milestones-of-gender-equality