Finland ranks eighth in the EU Gender Equality Index

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

24.10.2023 12.59

Press release

Finland has ranked eighth in the Gender Equality Index for the European Union (EU). The Index measured gender equality in various domains, such as work, health and power.

The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) released its latest Index measuring gender equality on 24 October. The Index measures gender equality in six core domains: work, money, knowledge, time, power and health. The Index consists of 31 indicators. The Index report also has a special thematic focus. Most of the data presented in this year’s Index is from 2021.

The overall Gender Equality Index score for the EU exceeded 70 points for the first time, now being 70.2 points out of 100. A score of 100 would mean full gender equality. This is an improvement of 1.6 points from last year, representing the highest year-on-year rise since the first edition of the Index. The overall Index for the EU shows progress in several domains, with particularly the score for the domain of power having improved over the long term.

Sweden continues to lead the ranking with 82.2 points, followed by the Netherlands and then Denmark.

Finland’s score exceeds the EU average, but progress has been minimal

Finland’s Index score is now 74.4. In the EIGE classification, Finland, together with the other Nordic countries, is in a group of countries where the national score is higher than the EU average, but gender equality progress is slower than the EU average.

Finland’s scores improved in the domains of health and work. The highest increase was in the domain of work. Particularly participation and the quality of work have improved.

Finland’s scores dropped in the domains of knowledge, money, power and time. In the domain of knowledge, Finland’s score is decreased by educational segregation. In the domain of time, the low score is largely determined by increasing gender inequalities in social activities. Women’s participation in physical, cultural or leisure activities has decreased sharply, whereas men’s participation has increased slightly. However, the report shows that the gender gap has reduced for involvement in unpaid care and housework activities. In other respects, the changes in Finland’s scores were minimal.

“Finland has a strong history of promoting gender equality, and although our ranking is still good, the results show that we still have a lot to do to achieve gender equality. According to the Gender Equality Index, there is room for improvement particularly in tackling educational segregation and, surprisingly, in gender equality in cultural, leisure and physical activities. The Government is committed to promoting gender equality, and we want to put Finland back at the forefront. The Government Programme also emphasises the importance of combating violence against women,” says Minister Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, who is responsible for gender equality issues.

Gender affects opportunities to participate in decision-making on the green transition

In 2023, the thematic focus is on gender equality and the socially fair transition of the European Green Deal. The thematic focus includes an analysis of public attitudes and behaviours in relation to climate change and mitigation, energy, transport and decision-making. Data was collected from numerous different studies.

The analysis shows that gender and intersecting inequalities affect, among other things, opportunities to participate in the labour force and decision-making on the green transition. The EU transport and energy sectors are strongly male-dominated. According to the analysis, women are also underrepresented in decision-making on the green transition.

Gender Equality Index

The Gender Equality Index can be used to compare changes in gender equality between EU countries and over time. The Index measures the difference between the situation of women and men, and the overall level of gender equality.

The Index provides information on challenges and positive developments related to gender equality, also for decision-making purposes. The Index has been published since 2013, and annually since 2019. Starting from 2019, each report has also featured a special thematic focus.

Inquiries:

Tanja Auvinen, Director, tel. +358 2951 63715, firstname.lastname@gov.fi
Eeva Raevaara, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 2951 63205, firstname.lastname@gov.fi
Niilo Heinonen, Special Adviser to the minister responsible for gender equality issues, tel. +358 295 163 603, firstname.lastname@gov.fi