Ombudsman for Equality

Looking back

The Act on Equality between Women and Men in Finland entered into force on 1 January 1987
Amendments:

• in 1992 discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and parenthood was prohibited
• in 1995 a regulation on gender equality planning
  the quota provision was specified
  the obligation to facilitate reconciliation of work and family life was imposed on employers
  sexual harassment was added
• in 2005 overall revision of the Act.

Office of the Ombudsman for Equality was established on 1 January 1987
Organisational reform in 2001:

• the Ombudsman for Equality is given a clear role as a law enforcement authority
• the Equality Unit of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is established
• The Council for Equality (established in 1972) continues as a permanent advisory board
• The Equality Board (established in 1987).

The Ombudsmen for Equality
Paavo Nikula 1987–1991
Tuulikki Petäjäniemi 1991–1994
Pirkko Mäkinen 1995–2002
Päivi Romanov 2002–2007
Pirkko Mäkinen 2007–

From the very beginning, issues related to working life, such as suspicions of discrimination in recruitment or pay, fixed-term employment relationships and problems connected with pregnancy and parental leaves, have kept the Ombudsman busy.

Paavo Nikula

Paavo Nikula The big issue of Paavo Nikula's time were the various pension benefits. Along with Finland's membership in the EC, varying retirement ages effective in certain sectors had to be harmonised.

Nikula had to make a stand on whether it was sufficient that the other sex – usually women – were only represented by a single person in numerous public bodies, such as boards and committees. The law of those days referred to the "representation of women and men" but did not define the meaning of representation in any more detail.

Tuulikki Petäjäniemi

Tuulikki Petäjäniemi Tuulikki Petäjäniemi's special field were pay issues. Even prior to her appointment as Ombudsman, Petäjäniemi participated in various working groups that reflected upon job evaluation and equal pay.

However, the Ombudsman's main focus was still on working life. During Petäjäniemi's time in office, the requirements of a job and the compatibility of the experience and education of applicants with the job to be filled were receiving more and more attention. It was also realised that an acceptable reason to select a certain applicant could be his/her particular aptitude for a position.

Pirkko Mäkinen

The third Ombudsman for Equality, Pirkko Mäkinen, took office on the very same day that Finland became a member Pirkko Mäkinen of the EU, i.e. on 1 January 1995. The first comprehensive revision of the Equality Act entered into force a few months later. The purpose of the revision was to remedy the identified shortcomings and to harmonise the Act with the legislation of the European Union. At the same time, provisions on equality planning were enacted. The quota provision was added to the law, enabling women and men to participate more equitably than before in public decision-making. The proportion of men, on the other hand, has risen in bodies deciding on issues concerning health care, social services and education.

Päivi Romanov

The fourth Ombudsman for Equality was Päivi Romanov. She emphasised the fact that equality is a fundamental right. Romanov's period in office was characterised by a succession of change: the newly revised Päivi Romanov Equality Act entered into force in June 2005, and electronic services provided by the authorities became more common. As early as in summer 2001, the organisation for equality work was changed: in addition to the Office of the Ombudsman for Equality and the Council for Equality, an Equality Unit was established with the duty to draft, develop and co-ordinate the implementation of the Finnish Government's gender equality policy.
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The current Ombudsman for Equality is Pirkko Mäkinen.
She returned to the Office of the Ombudsman for Equality in early spring 2006.