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Government report on gender equality has been released in English

Publication date 6.6.2011 13.06
News item N5-57839

The Government adopted the Government Report on Gender Equality on 21 October 2010. The report is now been released also in English. The Government Report on Gender Equality is the first of its kind in Finland. The report looks into the objectives and measures of the government gender equality policy that has been pursued over the past ten years. Of key importance in the report are the outlines for the future gender equality policy in Finland until the year 2020.

The report discusses comprehensively different areas of gender equality policy, such as decision-making, education and research, working life, reconciliation of work and family life, men and gender equality, violence against women and intimate partner violence. The report also addresses developments in the gender equality legislation as well as Finland's activities on the various arenas of international gender equality policy. Gender equality issues are also dealt with cross-cuttingly from the perspective of immigrants and minority groups.

In the report, the Government outlines its views on the future gender equality policy. The report presents proposals for, for example, extending the equality planning requirement to basic education, reinforcing gender mainstreaming in higher education and science policy, enhancing gender perspective in extending working careers as well as introducing solutions for reconciling work and family life into different phases of life. Fathers should be encouraged to make more use of family leaves. The report outlines that the best way to achieve this is to earmark periods of family leave specifically for fathers and mothers.

Moreover, the report discusses issues relating to men and gender equality and highlights, for example, the importance of support for fathers' parenthood in divorce cases. Development of legislation and more efficient measures at all levels are proposed in order to reduce violence against women and intimate partner violence.

Gender-equality issues are linked with all areas of the society. Efficient gender equality policy requires that the entire government takes responsibility for it and that the different policy fields cooperate closely.

More information

Eeva Raevaara, Senior Officer, [email protected], tel. 09 160 73842

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