Finland - country of dreams

Picture of Finland's PM with some of her cabinet

Recently, John Bolton, former National Security Advisor at the White House from April 2018 to September 2019, published a book called "The Room Where It Happened." A book that has sparked controversy by revealing confidential information about Trump. In the new book, it claims the US president once asked him if Finland was part of Russia. This sounds strange considering the number of times Trump met the Finnish president Sauli Niinisto. Yet, it raises the issue of the extent in which Finland is overlooked as a country. 

Yet, with a bit more research, I have realised that Finland is a country that we should all want to live in. Why you ask? Just continue reading. 

Sanna Marin 

Sanna Marin is the youngest head of government in the world. She leads a coalition headed entirely by women. She has been a rising star in Finland's Social Democratic Party since first entering Parliament in 2015. Marin was first voted in by her party after a turbulent week in which the Prime Minister Antti Rinne resigned over criticism from within his coalition government of the handling of a postal workers' strike. This was a political crisis over a plan to cut wages for 700 postal workers.  The national postal service withdrew the reform plans in November after widespread strikes, but questions soon emerged over whether or not the prime minister had previously approved the cutbacks prompting the Centre party to declare it had lost trust in the prime minister. 

The Finish government is female and young. Marin heads a government that is remarkably female and young. The other four parties in the government are led by women, three of whom are, like the prime minister, younger than 35. Marin is ultimately a force to be reckoned with. Her parents separated when she was a child and she was raised by her mother and her mother's female partner. She describes herself as being from a "rainbow family" and has said that she has often felt invisible because she couldn't talk openly about her family. 

Her values are the epitome of what the majority want for an ideal society. Marin said that: "For me, human rights and equality of people have never been questions of opinion but the basis of my moral conception." She said: "I joined politics because I want to influence how society sees its citizens and their rights." It is crazy to think that less than a quarter of the world's parliamentarians are female, yet here we are with a government where four out of five party leaders were women aged under 35. But why have I never heard of this exciting part of Finish politics?

Marin is what we should look for in our future prime minister. A woman who does not succumb to the usual bullet-point robot speech. Politics has not changed her as a person. She posts breastfeeding selfies on Instagram and pasta sauce recipes on her Facebook. Could we imagine if Theresa May done this? She has stated: "I just want to be honest, and be myself...I find it much easier." Her most impressive goal for Finland is her commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2035, one of the most ambitious targets for reduction in the world. Her character is what can be described in Finish as sisu. It refers to a sense of stoicism, resilience, determination and can-do attitude. It is the perfect word to describe Marin. 

Gender representation 

Even on the figures of gender representation, Finland is a force to be reckoned with. It has continued to rank high on the World Economic Forum's Annual Gender Gap Report Index. In 2018, Finland occupied place 4 out of 149 ranked countries. It has high gender-equal achievement in health and education that have contributed to women's high economic and political participation. Finland's cabinet features a significant number of women, as mentioned before, twelve portfolios are represented by women and only seven by men. 

Moreover, almost half (47%) of the country's parliamentarians are women. Finland is joined by European parliaments in Belgium, Spain and Sweden which the European Institute for Gender Equality considers to be gender balanced. If we also look at Finland's history, it elected its first female president, Tarja Halonen, in 2000. Then, it elected its first female prime minister, Anelli Jäätteenmäki in 2003. Finland is an exemplar for female representation, yet we never hear of its amazing achievements.

Women's policies

Additionally, Finland's gender policies can also be impressive. Due to having a high representation of women in government, this results in women's issues being better tackled in legislation. For example, only around 13% of households reported unmet needs for formal childcare services in Finland. This can be compared to around 86% of households reporting unmet needs in Portugal and 60% in Greece. Furthermore, in contrast to most of the European Union countries, in Finland eligibility for parental leave is not constrained by employment status, duration or type of employment.

Finland instituted women's suffrage in 1906 and has been progressive with its policies in relation to women's policies. The United States only instituted women's suffrage in 1920. Finland has also structured its reproductive health policy since the 1970s to promote gender equality, according to the country's Ministry of Social Affairs and Health - permitting abortion, ensuring access to birth control and providing sex education in schools. Finland is impressive.

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, participation of genders in working life in Finland is the second most equal in the EU. Finnish women's gender equality in working life is the fourth best in the world, according to The Glass-Ceiling Index report by The Economist. It is also the third most gender equal country in the world. These statistics show that our government needs to look towards Finland when it wants to learn some lessons about equality. 

Happiness

It is no doubt that this has had an effect on the wellbeing of people in Finland. It is one of the countries where you can find people who are the happiest. According to the World Happiness Report in 2018, Finland is the happiest country in the world. According to a study by Eurostat, people from Finland are the second most satisfied with their life among Europeans. They are also the most satisfied with their accommodation in the EU. 

It is no wonder that they are the happiest country in the world. According to the Global Competitiveness Report in 2018 by the World Economic Forum, Finland has the least organised crime in the world. Finland is the third most prosperous country in the world, according to a study the Legatum Institute. It also has the third least corruption in the world, according to Transparency International. The air in Finland is the cleanest in the world, according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute. It is the water richest country in the world, according to a study by Keele University. 

In terms of education, Finland ranks as one of the top countries in education, according to OECD. Education in Finland answers to future needs the third best in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. Finland is also the most literate country in the world according to a study by Connecticut State University. Donald Trump should actually be noticing the prominence of Finland more than any other country. Especially with the record of the United States and their figures on women's representation in Congress. 

The United Kingdom should also be looking at Finland more. I would not say that we are the happiest population. With lockdown just exasperating this. A figure by The Independent showed that only 9% of Britons want to return to life as normal after the end of lockdown. Was our life before lockdown really that bad? I think this shows a need for the government to take lessons from Finland. Focus more on the wellbeing of its citizens. This lockdown has shown a real appetite for change and for the nation to learn from other countries. The first country I believe that we can look to as a role model is Finland.