What men want, at least in Finland
Finnish fathers, with a lot of help from the state, are playing a key role in the drive for gender equality.
STAYING at home is something adventure-loving sales manager S. Tuomas, 36, never thought he could endure. But when he got his daughter early this year, he decided to take up the nine weeks of paternity leave offered by the Finnish government. And he loved every minute of it.
Tuomas is now thinking of taking up the parental leave benefit – where either parent or both can take up to 158 days paid parental leave before their child turns two – and he says many of his friends are doing the same.
Many believe this support for fathers to participate in the children’s early years is part of the reason why Finland was rated third in the Global Gender Gap report recently.
Experts have pointed out that some of the strongest forces behind gender gaps in society are not only the ingrained social norms and stereotypes that limit what women can or should do. The social expectations and stereotypes of manhood and masculinity also play a big part.
A survey by the Association of Finnish Work last year found 80% to 90% of men do household chores while a recent OECD report showed Finnish fathers spend more time with school-aged children than mothers.
The recognition of fathers’ role in the family has helped to reshape stereotypes and challenge the social norms in Finland, says Riitta Martikainen, ministerial adviser with the Social Affairs and Health Ministry, which oversees the Gender Equality Unit.
“We can see the change in the last 30 years or so – how fathers take care of children and take babies to daycare centres. Children are seeing at home how fathers are involved in raising children, and this is changing the culture in our society,” she tells a visiting group of Asian journalists.
As Finland celebrated its 100 years of independence on Dec 6, its cradle-to-grave social services for its 5.5 million population have come under the spotlight.
What many may not know is that its tradition of gender equality is even older – almost 140 years old. As early as 1878, Finland established equal hereditary rights for men and women.
In 1906, Finland became the first country in the world to pass a law that granted women full political rights – allowing women not only to vote, but also to run for election. It appointed its first woman minis- ter in 1926, and today, women make up 42% of the country’s parliamentarians.
The adoption of the Act on Equality between Women and Men in 1987 further promoted gender equality at all levels of the society.
In the workforce, more than 60% are women, and this is partly due to the country’s long tradition of women working in Finland, says Johanna Hautakorpi, a senior legal affairs officer at the Gender Equality unit.
“In the past, (Finland was an agrarian society) both women and men had to work in farms, so this made it easy for them to adapt to the modern idea of ‘independent’ work. During the war, and after, when the nation was poor, women had to go out and work too.”
But putting family and child rights at the core of the gender equality initiative is the key to the progress they are seeing, as its minister of family affairs and social services, Annika Saarikko, told British daily The Guardian recently.
“This is a question of gender equality, but it’s more a question of the rights of the child. It is not about the mother’s right or the father’s right – but the child’s right to spend time with both parents.
“The early years are vital and we believe the connection between the baby and the father is really important – and we believe in investing in that,” she was quoted as saying.
In Finland, the social support for a child begins even before he or she is born – a pregnant woman receives free or subsidised medical care before and after giving birth.
Regardless of income, the expectant family also receives a “baby box” that is filled with newborn essentials like baby wear, toiletries and a sleeping bag. The sturdy cardboard box can also be converted into a cot – a mattress and sheets are provided too.
Dating back to the 1930s, the baby box programme is seen as a symbol of the country’s egalitarian culture and has been credited for Finland’s low infant mortality rate – it saw only 1.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2015.
While families can opt to receive €140 (RM674) instead, 95% of first-timers take the goodies, as they are worth much more, says Olga Tarsailainen, a communication specialist at Finland’s Social Insurance Institution that manages the programme.
Amazingly, no one minds dressing their child in the same outfit as other kids.
“We believe it gives everyone a fair start in life. It lessens the stress for new parents and everyone just loves the contents. Even the box, with its colourful designs,” says Tarsailainen.
None of this comes cheap, of course. It is reported that taxes account for 44% of Finland’s GDP, and the Finns pay up to 51.5% of their earnings to the state.
“Of course we wish we could pay less tax, but we think we are getting a lot back. We also strongly believe in social democracy,” she adds.
Still, there is much work to be done where gender equality is concerned, Hautakorpi concedes.
Deeply ingrained gender-related problems remain, particularly in remote areas, and the gender pay gap still hovers at 16%. Domestic violence is also a problem in Finland.
“One of the main barriers we face is the illusion of gender equality,” says Hautakorpi. “Problems are not well notifed (to authorities). Many people think that gender equality has already been achieved in Finland, they don’t realise there are issues.”
But the government is actively working to push for more change, she notes.
“We have gone back to school to further break the gender stereotypes. There have been studies on the representation of gender roles in our textbooks.
“Two years ago, we made a guide for all elementary schools about how they can tackle gender stereotype and what stories and toys to use. We looked at various aspects – whose history do you teach, what sports can they play, who gets to use the expensive equipment – so that both girls and boys will have equal opportunities.”
Tuomas, however, feels it will be men, particularly fathers, who will play the big role in pushing for greater gender balance in the country.
“I see it in my younger colleagues and friends – they are asking for more and they want to make the change,” he says.