From Plans to Action
Report by the Ombudsman for Equality on equality planning at workplaces in Finland
In summer 2002 the Office of the Ombudsman for Equality sent a questionnaire dealing with gender equality to 200 workplaces chosen by random sampling. The questionnaire was addressed to personnel managers and contained questions, i.a., about difficulties related to equality planning, its possible benefits, values at the workplaces and reports made at workplaces relating to equality between women and men. The response rate was 73.5 per cent. At some of the workplaces the number of staff had however been reduced under 30, and finally 133 workplaces were included. Equality planning was carried out at 36 workplaces (27 %) among those that responded to the questionnaire. The separate equality plans numbered 15.
Large workplaces with more than 500 employees were most active in fulfilling their obligation to make gender equality plans. There were no major differences between the sectors of companies. The differentiation of workplaces and jobs according to gender was regarded as the reason for both finding no need for equality planning and finding it difficult. The fact that equality planning is an obligation and its import appeared to have remained unclear. It was stated in replies that since no cases of discrimination had been detected at the workplace there was no need for equality planning.
The existing equality plans often lacked concreteness. Neither did it appear from the replies who is responsible for equality promotion at the workplace and how the plan is integrated into other planning of personnel policy.
Altogether 67 per cent of the respondents were of the opinion that equality planning has brought about favourable changes. The most important change was considered to be changed attitudes.
Instructions for situations of sexual harassment had been issued at 19 per cent of the workplaces.