Centenary of women's political rights in Finland

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Women and politics – past to present

Committee for the Centenary of Women's Full Political Rights and Saara Tuomaala

The year 2006 marks the centenary of universal and equal suffrage in Finland. Finnish women were the first in Europe and the third in the world to be granted the right to vote in national elections, and the second in the world to be granted the right to stand for election. Tsar Nicholas II signed a decree on universal and equal suffrage in Finland on 30 June 1906.

Political opposition to the Russification of Finland provided the backdrop to the Finnish voting reform. The struggle for the right to vote was linked to the Finns’ attempts to secure their country’s autonomous status under Russian rule. The Finnish women’s movement also fought for women’s right to vote and stand for election. Likewise, women workers played an important role in organising the General Strike of 1905, which helped to convince working class men of women’s political maturity. Women of different classes disagreed, however, about the extent of the political rights to be granted. Nicholas II was of the view that Finnish women’s political rights were an internal matter for Finland.

The first parliamentary elections were held in Finland in March 1907, and the first plenary session of the Finnish Parliament took place on 30 June 1907. Nineteen women (9.5% of the total number of MPs) were elected as MPs. Finnish women were the first women in the world to exercise their right to parliamentary representation. On this anniversary of the right to vote, we want to highlight Finnish women’s achievements in politics, focusing on the early pioneers and the struggle for the vote. In addition to studying earlier achievements, we will look to the future and the challenges ahead. It is now 100 years from the milestone moment when Finnish women were granted full political rights, but the number of women in political decision-making positions is still not proportionate to their share of the total population and the electorate.

The history of Finnish women’s political participation is characterised not only by changes but also by certain long-term developments. Women’s activism began to grow in the 1880s and 1890s, that is, before they were granted the right to vote, as a by-product of general popular activism and social politicisation. The Finnish national awakening and the promotion of popular education contributed to women’s activism. Women were initially organised alongside men in civic organisations, especially the temperance movement, and in the emerging political scene which gradually evolved into a division between the bourgeois and socialist parties. At the turn of the century, women started establishing their own associations and organisations, although Finnish women, unlike women in many other countries, also continued to work with men in various organisations. Women’s political activism both in Finland and abroad was – and is – largely rooted in the difficulties and challenges faced by women in their daily lives. These include the status of women and children, as well as issues related to the family, work, education, health and social services. Women across party lines have been interested in the moral and ethical analysis and formulation of these key issues even though they have sometimes disagreed on the answers. Until recent years, Finnish women were barred from the traditionally male-dominated areas of politics, economic and foreign policy, and from the highest echelons of power. In the 21 st century, the hierarchy and distribution of political duties between women and men are slowly being broken down. This will also lead to changes in politics and non-governmental activities.