Skip to content
Government and ministries
  • Suomi
  • Svenska
  • English
Media
Search page »
  •  Front page
  • Current issues
    • Information and advice on the coronavirus
      • Current restrictions
        • Regional restrictions on the hospital district websites
        • Entry restrictions and health measures
        • Restrictions on restaurants
        • Restrictions on movement
        • Restrictions in preparation
      • Plan for lifting COVID-19 restrictions
      • Questions and answers
      • Information on the coronavirus by telephone and chat
      • Emergencies
        • Central government management of the coronavirus situation
      • Phases of the COVID-19 epidemic
      • Topical material
        • Government press conferences
        • Government press releases
        • Ministries' press releases
      • Finland forward
    • Press releases
    • News
    • Speeches
    • Webcasts
    • Social Media Newsroom
    • Themes
      • Government formation talks 2019
      • State funeral of former President of the Republic Mauno Koivisto
      • Open house 2019
    • Sign up
  • Marin's Government
    • Ministers
      • Prime Minister
      • Minister of Science and Culture
      • Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering
      • Minister for Foreign Affairs
      • Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade
      • Minister of Justice
      • Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality
      • Minister of the Interior
      • Minister of Defence
      • Minister of Finance
      • Minister of Local Government
      • Minister of Education
      • Minister of Employment
      • Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
      • Minister of Transport and Communications
      • Minister of Economic Affairs
      • Minister of Social Affairs and Health
      • Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services
      • Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
    • State Secretaries to the Ministers
    • Special Advisers to the Ministers
    • Government Programme
      • 1 Introduction
        • 1.1 Our pledges to citizens on policy reforms
      • 2 Finland as a sustainable economy
        • 2.1 Taxation in a changing world
      • 3 Strategic themes
        • 3.1. Carbon neutral Finland that protects biodiversity
          • 3.1.1 Housing policy
        • 3.2 Globally influential Finland
          • 3.2.1 Policy on Europe
        • 3.3 Safe and secure Finland built on the rule of law
          • 3.3.1 Strengthening the rule of law
          • 3.3.2 Defence policy
        • 3.4 Dynamic and thriving Finland
          • 3.4.1 Transport network development
          • 3.4.2 Agriculture
        • 3.5 Finland built on trust and labour market equality
        • 3.6 Fair, equal and inclusive Finland
          • 3.6.1 Restructuring of health and social services
          • 3.6.2 Reforming social security
        • 3.7 Finland that promotes competence, education, culture and innovation
          • 3.7.1 Youth, culture and sport
      • 4 Governance
        • 4.1 Management of the strategic Government Programme
        • 4.2 Parliamentary committees
        • 4.3 Strategic ministerial working groups
        • 4.4 Ownership policy
        • 4.5 Best public administration in the world
        • 4.6 Government’s communications strategy
      • Annexes and entries in meeting minutes
        • Annex 1. Summary of discretionary changes in permanent expenditure
        • Annex 2. One-off future-oriented investments
        • Annex 3. Spending limits rule
        • Annex 4. Work to combat the grey economy
        • Annex 5. Measures to combat international tax evasion and aggressive tax planning
        • Annex 6. Entries in meeting minutes
        • Annex 7. Memo of the working group on Europe regarding the key themes of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union
        • Annex 8. Ideas of the working group on transport to develop land use, housing and transport
        • Annex 9. Fostering democracy
        • Annex 10. Impacts of benefit increases
        • Annex 11. Tables, Annex 1
        • Annex 12. One-off future-oriented investments, tables, Annex 2
      • Government Communications Strategy
        • Introduction
        • 1 Values in government communications
        • 2 Government’s core messages
        • 3 Cooperation in communications
        • 4 Measuring progress in achieving objectives
    • Portfolios and deputising
    • Ministerial Committees
    • Ministerial working groups
    • Ministerial pay and allowances
    • Ministers and Parliament
  • About the Government
    • Appointment and organisation
    • How does the Government work?
      • Chancellor of Justice
      • Activities of the caretaker government
    • Role of the Prime Minister
    • Ministerial committees
    • Informal government meetings and ministerial working groups
    • EU affairs and the Finnish government
    • The Government and Parliament
    • Governments and Ministers since 1917
      • Ministers in Finland by gender
      • Governments' term in office
      • Prime Minister's age on the date of appointment
      • Finland's youngest and oldest ministers
    • History
      • Government Programmes since 1917
    • Premises
      • Government Palace
      • House of the Estates
      • Government Banquet Hall
      • Prime Minister's Official Residence
      • Königstedt Manor
      • Presidential portraits
  • Contact
    • Ministries
      • Safety information for visitors
    • Ministries Communication deparment contact
    • Feedback

Contact

Finnish Government
  • Front pageFront page
  • Current issues
  • Marin's Government
  • About the Government
  • Contact
  • en
  • About the Government
  • History
  • Governments and Ministers since 1917
  • Women as ministers in independent Finland
  • Sinikka Luja-Penttilä
« All female ministers
Cover photo of minister
Sinikka Luja-Penttilä’s career culminated with the post of the Minister of Social Affairs and Health in Mauno Koivisto’s Government in the 1970s and 1980s.

Sinikka Luja-Penttilä at Säästöpankinranta, Helsinki. The photo was taken in 1983. Reijo Forsberg/Työväen Arkisto

Sinikka Luja-Penttilä

Sinikka Marjatta Luja-Penttilä, who worked as an editor in a publishing company, was the first Social Democratic woman to chair one of the Parliament's committees. Her political career culminated in the office of Minister of Social Affairs and Health in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Sinikka Luja-Penttilä was born in Antrea, Karelia, but her family later settled in the district of Leppävaara in Espoo. Her parents were involved in the Social Democratic Party: her father was a speaker and an opinion leader in the workers’ association, while her mother directed the association’s amateur plays and contributed to newspapers. Luja-Penttilä took her matriculation examination in 1945 and complemented her studies with various courses both in Finland and Manchester, England (in 1967). She started her working career as a proof-reader for Kauppalehti and took a position as an editor with the publishing house Kustannus Oy Tammi in 1947.

Luja-Penttilä started her political activities in Leppävaara worker's association in 1945 and went on to have a role in local politics and the central organisation of Social Democratic Women. The split in the Social Democratic Party also created a division in the women's organisations that was only repaired in 1979. Luja-Penttilä, who was one of the followers of Leskinen and chaired the Social Democratic Women's Association in Uusimaa in the relevant period, was a key actor in the unification. Regardless of her work in women's organisations, Luja-Penttilä stressed that women’s issues were part of the larger workers’ issue and supported close ties with the party.

Luja-Penttilä was first elected to the Parliament in 1966. In addition to the Commerce Committee and the Grand Committee, she was also a member of the Education and Culture Committee, becoming the chairperson of the latter in 1978. She was the first Social Democratic woman to chair a parliamentary committee. Equality issues and building the social security system were key themes for Luja-Penttilä. Many reforms were achieved during her time in the Parliament, including acts on children’s day care and national health as well as the comprehensive school system.

The political career of Luja-Penttilä, who was a presidential elector four times, culminated in the office of Minister of Social Affairs and Health in Prime Minister Koivisto's second government.

Luja-Penttilä left politics in 1983 after 17 years as an MP and 25 years in local politics in Espoo. Luja-Penttilä also served as an elected official in Osuusliike Elanto cooperative, the Finnish Heart Association and Kansan sivistysrahasto foundation. She chaired the Central Association of Finnish Pensioners in 1987–1993.

Luja-Penttilä was awarded the honorary title of sosiaalineuvos in 1988. She published a novel, Venla, based on her mother’s life story in 1983, and a 25-year history of the Social Democratic Women's Association in Uusimaa under the title ”Suomi ei tule toimeen ilman meitä” (Finland would not survive without us) in 1989.

1001Days in office

Date and place of birth: 9.6.1924 Antrea

Political party: SDP

Ministerial posts

  • 26.5.1979 - 19.2.1982
    Sosiaali- ja terveysministeri, SDP
creation related to information equality (values) social policy women's organisations workers' associations pension recipients publishing mother and child homes

Photos

Photos
The 35th Celebration of Ensikotien Liitto (“Association of the Mother-and-child homes”) in the 1980s: from the left; Chair Ritva Winter, Minister Sinikka Luja-Penttilä, Martta Salmela Järvinen and County Governor Sylvi Siltavuori. Työväen Arkisto
Photos
Tiredness and contentment were prevalent at the Parliament before the Parliament’s Christmas holiday. The photo shows Members of Parliament Juhani Raudasoja, Sinikka Luja-Penttilä and Matti Kuusio on 22 December 1977. Työväen Arkisto
Photos
Sinikka Luja-Penttilä and Sulo Penttilä, a newly-wed couple, receiving congratulations at the Parliament’s 70th celebration on 25 May 1977. Minister Pirkko Työläjärvi (on the right), happy with the couple getting married. Työväen Arkisto

Texts by: Annika Puukka, Nevelyn Media Oy and Prime Minister’s Office

Finnish Government
Valtioneuvosto | Statsrådet

Snellmaninkatu 1 A, Helsinki PO Box 23

FI-00023 Government, Finland

Tel. +358 295 16001

About the site

Sitemap

Questions and feedback