Gender Equality Days 2025

Keskiviikko 8.10.2025 – torstai 9.10.2025

sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö

The 11th annual Gender Equality Days (Tasa-arvopäivät) were organised on 8-9 October 2025 at the Clarion Hotel Aviapolis in Vantaa. 

Please giveus feedback of the event here: Gender Equality Days 20205 Feedback survey (Webropol)

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On the first day of the event we gathered Nordic gender equality actors to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The day ended with an afterwork organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers. On the second day we focused on the intersections of safety and gender. 

The event was co-organised by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the City of Vantaa, the Nordic Information on Gender (NIKK) and a network of Finnish equality actors.

Participation is free of charge excluding lunch. Lunch tickets are sold for 15 euros at the venue, card payment only. The venue is accessible by wheelchair and has a portable hearing loop.

On this page:

Live stream

The on-site registration has closed and the venue is fully booked. Event will be live-streamed. Please note that accessing the stream requires advance registration. No recording will be available afterwards.
Registration form (Webropol)

Live stream:

Programme

Please note that all times are given in Finnish time (EEST/UTC+3). The programme is subject to change.

Wed 8th October Beijing +30 Nordic success stories

The event is hosted by journalist, musician Tommy Lindgren.

9.00 Coffee

9.30 Opening words
Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen
Deputy Mayor Riikka Åstrand, City of Vantaa
Chair Vida Amoah and Vice Chair Minja Immonen, Vantaa Youth Council

10.00 Navigating the next 30 years: Nordic Ministers’ visions for gender equality in an era of global pushback 

Panelists:

  • Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, Minister for Social Security (FI)
  • Lubna Jaffery, Minister of Culture and Equality (NO)
  • Katarina Lundahl, State secretary to Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson, Ministry of Employment (SE)
  • Kira Appel, Director of International Gender Equality, Ministry for Gender Equality (DK)

Commentary: Ulla Müller, Chief of UNFPA Nordic Representation Office

The panel is hosted by Secretary General Karen Ellemann from the Nordic Council of Ministers

11.00 Lunch 

12.00 The Disruptive Development of Danish Feminism in the Light of the #MeToo Movement: findings from the FIERCE project
Associate professor Lise Rolandsen Agustín, Aalborg University (DK)

Commentary: Advocacy Specialist Katri Jalonen, the National Council of Women of Finland and the Counterforce to Anti-Gender Movement Network 

12.45 The Icelandic Act on Gender Autonomy
Senior Legal Advisor Elísabet Gísladóttir, Ministry of Justice (IS)

Discussion with Senior Legal Advisor Elísabet Gísladóttir, Non-Discrimination Ombudsman Rainer Hiltunen and Chair Kaisli Syrjänen from Intersex Human Rights – ISIO Finland

13.30 Coffee

14.00 Research-based policy in times of democratic challenges: The case of gender equality and gender mainstreaming in the Nordics
Director Fredrik Bondestam, Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research (SE)

Discussion with director Fredrik Bondestam and Senior researcher Marjut Pietiläinen, Statistics Finland

15.00 Boys and Men as Agents for Change: Milestones and Future Prospects of Inclusive Gender Equality Strategy
Director Are Saastad, REFORM – Resource Centre for Men (NO)

Discussion with director Are Saastad and University researcher Harry Lunabba, University of Helsinki

15.45-16 What makes a Nordic success story? Reflections on the first day
Equality and Diversity Consultant Malin Gustavsson, Ekvalita

16.30-18.30 After work hosted by the Nordic Council of Ministers 

Thu 9th October Safety and gender

Please note that all times are given in Finnish time (EEST/UTC+3) .The programme is subject to change.

The event is hosted by journalist, musician Tommy Lindgren.

8.45 Coffee

9.15 Welcome - Gender-aware safety work in Vantaa
Head of Security Markus Hammarström, City of Vantaa

9.30 Gender-based violence in Finland

  • A private matter? On combating the deep-rooted culture of violence
    Independent scholar (Ph.D.), Adjunct professor, consultant Satu Lidman
  • Violence against women and access to justice 
    Senior specialist, reporting on Violence against Women Marjo Rantala, Non-discrimination Ombudsman’s office
  • Protection and support for victims 
    Executive director Leena-Kaisa Åberg, Victim Support Finland (RIKU)

Discussion

10.45 Hate online - digital violence takes many forms

  • What Lies Beneath the Screen? Tackling the Hidden Impacts of Online Violence and Digital Crime
    PhD, Social Media Researcher, CEO Suvi Uski, Someturva (SomeBuddy)
  • Safe Digital Cities Programme 
    Head of Tech and Democracy Ingvild Endestad (NO), Nordic Safe Cities 

11.35 Lunch

12.30 Parallel societies - honour-related violence is present

  • Perspectives on challenges and change: an intersectional approach to honour-related violence
    MA in Middle Eastern Studies, PhD in Social Work, consultant Hanna Cinthio (SE)
  • Commentary: Specialist Fathi Osman, Honor Related Violence and Training Irada Project, Finnish Refugee Council

13.30 Coffee

14.00 Women and defence
Academy Research Fellow Leena Vastapuu, Tampere Peace Research Institute

14.50-15.00 Closing words
Secretary general Taina Riski, Council for Gender Equality (Tane)

Speaker bios

Lise Rolandsen Agustín is Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Society, Aalborg University (Denmark). Her research focuses on EU gender equality policies and policy-making processes, sexism, gender-based violence, sexual harassment, social movements, and transnational activism as well as diversity and intersectionality in feminist institutionalization and mobilization.

Kaisli Syrjänen is the co-founder and a chair of ISIO – Intersex Human Rights, Finland, executive board member of OII Europe, the umbrella organization of European human rights based and intersex-led organizations and coordinator of civic activities in Pienperheyhdistys, the Single parent organization. Kaisli has worked in the field of family and children's rights for over twenty years and has focused particularly on networking and cooperation with various stakeholders to promote rights and increase participation.

Fredrik Bondestam is an Associate Professor in Sociology at Uppsala University and the Director of the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg. His research covers organizational change in higher education and research, feminist pedagogy, gender-based violence and harassment, risk and masculinities, and gender mainstreaming in theory and practice. Fredrik has managed government assignments on gender mainstreaming in SE 2013-2017 and participates in several EU-funded Horizon2020-projects on gender mainstreaming and gender-based violence in the ERA (GENDERACTION, UniSAFE, GENDERACTIONplus, GenderSAFE). 

Marjut Pietiläinen, Senior Researcher, is a gender statistics expert and a gender statistics team leader at Statistics Finland. She has a long work experience with social and gender statistics. She is a member of several national and international expert groups on equality and non-discrimination. Currently, she is a Co-Chair of the Praia City Group's Task Team for Non-Discrimination and Equality. In addition, she has been involved in several research projects, for example the Gender-based Violence Survey, Gender Equality Barometer and Pregnancy Discrimination Survey. Her personal research interest is gender-based discrimination in the labour market.

Are Saastad has been director of Reform - Resource Center for Men since 2012. As one of Norway's five equality centers, Reform is a not-for-profit NGO, targeted to work particularly with boys and men's gender equality issues. Saastad has background as a psychiatric nurse and an active union representative. He is a clear voice for the protection of the Nordic welfare state model. Saastad was a part of The Men’s Equality Commission in Norway, that launched its report in 2024. His latest book is titled "Invisible men. A new Perspective on Norwegian Gender Equality” (Dinamo, 2022).

Markus Hammarström, Head of Security in the City of Vantaa, is a versatile professional with a strong educational background and hands-on experience in both expert and supervisory roles in the fields of safety, security, preparedness and risk management. Bringing a practical mindset and solid skills to improving operations, building teams, and creating effective cross-functional collaboration to the comprehensive security.

Satu Lidman is an independent scholar (Ph.D.), Adjunct Professor and non-fiction author based in Finland. Her research interests include gender, bodiliness and aspects of violence in historical and present-day contexts of criminal law, human rights and attitudinal change. For her, investigating historical continuities and change is a tool that helps not only understanding where we are coming from, but also to develop current societies. For more details and the full list of publications, please see: www.lidman.fi.

Marjo Rantala, LL.M. trained on the bench, has been working as a Senior Specialist for the national Rapporteur on Violence against Women since 2022, when the task of the Rapporteur was assigned to the Finnish Non-Discrimination Ombudsman. Rantala has an extensive professional experience with and academic interest in issues related to human rights, gender equality, intersectionality, and non-discrimination law.

Leena-Kaisa Åberg has been the Executive Director of Victim Support Finland (RIKU) since March 2014. During her leadership RIKU’s staff has grown three times and the number of clients over six times bigger. Leena-Kaisa Åberg has a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Helsinki University and has concluded a specialization course in Forensic Psychology. In her job she has worked in many international networks and has served two full terms in the Executive Board of Victims Support Europe.

Ingvild Endestad leads the work on tech and democracy at Nordic Safe Cities. She has extensive experience in human rights, democracy, gender equality, and SRHR from both civil society and the analytical sector. Endestad is an experienced public speaker and commentator and previously served as the Executive Director of the Norwegian LGBT organization FRI.

Hanna Cinthio lives in Sweden but has vast personal and professional experience from Palestine and neighboring countries. For over 25 years she has worked academically, practically and strategically in Sweden and abroad in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights, focusing on honor violence and control (including forced/early marriage) and societal interventions to combat these practices. Today she is active as an independent scholar and consultant, providing lectures, strategic process support and research reports to authorities within the social, educational and legal sectors.

Leena Vastapuu (PhD) is an Academy Research Fellow at the Tampere Peace Research Institute, University of Tampere, whose research focuses on gendered inequalities in crisis and war. Currently on leave of absence from her position as a Senior Lecturer of War Studies at the Swedish Defence University, she leads the HomeFront project, examining everyday militarism in Finland following its NATO membership. In addition to academia, Leena has worked in EU civilian crisis management, NGOs and as an independent consultant. Leena is the author of Liberia’s Women Veterans: War, Roles and Reintegration (Zed Books, 2018).

About the Gender Equality Days

The Gender Equality Days is the main annual event in the field of gender equality in Finland. It is intended for everyone working with or interested in gender equality issues, including policymakers, public officials, researchers, students and specialists in labour market organisations, CSOs, the private sector and projects.

The objectives of the event are to:

  • bring together actors promoting gender equality
  • share information
  • exchange experiences
  • discuss the goals of promoting gender equality
  • develop coordination and working methods in gender equality efforts
  • enhance participants’ own expertise.

At the Gender Equality Days, gender equality refers to equal rights and opportunities for people of all genders, as well as equality in outcomes — such as the fair distribution of power and resources. The event’s concept of gender equality includes gender diversity and recognises that, in addition to gender, other differences also affect a person’s position in society (intersectionality).

Equality as a basic right, as understood in the context of the event, means that all people are of equal value regardless of their gender, age, ethnic or national origin, nationality, language, religion or belief, opinion, disability, state of health, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristic.

Principles for a Safer Space

The goal is for everyone to be able to participate in the event safely and as their authentic selves, without fear of inappropriate treatment or harassment. A safe social space is created through mutual interaction, and every participant at the Gender Equality Days shares responsibility for maintaining it. 

By registering, participants commit to the following principles:

  • Respect others' experiences and self-identification.
  • Be open and listen. Do not make assumptions about someone’s identity, experiences, thoughts or situation.
  • Do not generalize your own experience as being universal.
  • Do not harass anyone verbally, physically, or by staring. Stop or change your behaviour if someone asks you to.
  • Do not make insulting remarks about anyone, whether they be present or absent. It is possible to debate and disagree without offending anyone personally.
  • If you encounter behaviour that violates the principles, reach out to the host, organisers, or other participants.

The organisers are responsible for the safety of the event, and you can ask them for help in resolving situations. Organisers and harrassment contact persons are introduced at the beginning of the event. 

A person who violates these principles may be asked to leave the event venue if they do not correct their behaviour after a warning.

Contact

If you have questions regarding the event, please contact the organisers [email protected].

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Tasa-arvopäivät 2025

Yhdennettoista valtakunnalliset Tasa-arvopäivät järjestetään 8.-9.10.2025 Clarion Hotel Aviapoliksessa Vantaalla. Ensimmäisen päivän ohjelmassa näkyvät tasa-arvon edistysaskeleet Pohjoismaissa ja Pekingin julistuksen ja toimintaohjelman 30-vuotisjuhlavuosi. Päivä päättyy Pohjoismaiden ministerineuvoston järjestämään afterwork-tilaisuuteen. Toisen päivän teemana on turvallisuus ja sukupuoli.

Päivät toteutetaan yhteistyössä Pohjoismaiden ministerineuvoston, Vantaan kaupungin, Pohjoismaiden tasa-arvotiedon keskus NIKK:n ja tasa-arvotoimijoiden verkoston kanssa. Tasa-arvopäivien ohjelma toteutetaan englanniksi ja striimataan verkkoon. Tapahtumasta ei tule tallennetta.

Osallistuminen on maksutonta (pl. lounas). Lounaslipukkeita on myynnissä hotellissa 15 euron hintaan. Tapahtumatila on esteetön ja tilassa on siirrettävä induktiosilmukka.

Ilmoittautuminen

Ilmoittautuminen osallistujaksi paikan päälle on päättynyt. Tapahtumaa voi seurata suorana verkossa. Lähetyksen seuraaminen edellyttää ennakkoilmoittautumista.

Ilmoittautumislomake (englanniksi, Webropol)

Ohjelma ja puhujien tiedot

Ks. englanniksi yllä

Tietoa Tasa-arvopäivistä

Tasa-arvopäivät on sukupuolten tasa-arvoalan vuoden päätapahtuma. Päivät on suunnattu kaikille tasa-arvoasioiden parissa työskenteleville ja niistä kiinnostuneille, muun muassa viranhaltijoille ja luottamushenkilöille valtionhallinnossa, hyvinvointialueilla ja kunnissa, työmarkkinajärjestöille, kansalaisjärjestöille, yksityisen sektorin toimijoille, hankkeille, tutkijoille ja opiskelijoille. 

Tasa-arvopäivien tavoitteena on:

  • koota yhteen tasa-arvokentän toimijoita
  • parantaa tiedonkulkua
  • vaihtaa kokemuksia käytännön tasa-arvotyöstä
  • keskustella sukupuolten tasa-arvon edistämisen tavoitteista
  • kehittää tasa-arvotyön koordinaatiota ja toimintatapoja
  • lisätä omaa osaamista.

Sukupuolten tasa-arvolla tarkoitetaan Tasa-arvopäivillä eri sukupuolta olevien ihmisten yhtäläisiä oikeuksia ja mahdollisuuksia sekä lopputulosten tasa-arvoa, kuten tasa-arvoa vallan ja resurssien oikeudenmukaista jakamista. Päivien tasa-arvokäsitys sisältää sukupuolen moninaisuuden ja tunnistaa sukupuolen ohella muut ihmisen asemaan yhteiskunnassa vaikuttavat erot (intersektionaalisuus).

Yhdenvertaisuudella tarkoitetaan tapahtumassa sitä, että kaikki ihmiset ovat samanarvoisia riippumatta heidän sukupuolestaan, iästään, etnisestä tai kansallisesta alkuperästään, kansalaisuudestaan, kielestään, uskonnostaan ja vakaumuksestaan, mielipiteestään, vammastaan, terveydentilastaan, seksuaalisesta suuntautumisestaan tai muusta henkilöön liittyvästä syystä.

Turvallisemman tilan periaatteet

Tavoitteena on, että kaikki voivat osallistua Tasa-arvopäiville turvallisesti omana itsenään ilman pelkoa esimerkiksi epäasiallisesta kohtelusta tai häirinnästä. Turvallinen sosiaalinen tila määrittyy ihmisten keskinäisessä vuorovaikutuksessa ja jokaisella Tasa-arvopäivien osallistujalla on siitä vastuu.

Ilmoittautumalla tapahtumaan osallistujat sitoutuvat seuraaviin periaatteisiin:

  • Kunnioita toisen kokemusta ja itsemäärittelyä. 
  • Ole avoin ja kuuntele. Älä tee oletuksia toisen identiteetistä, kokemuksista, ajatuksista tai elämäntilanteesta.
  • Älä yleistä omaa kokemustasi muita koskevaksi.
  • Älä häiritse ketään sanallisesti, koskemalla tai tuijottamalla. Lopeta tai muuta käytöstäsi, jos toinen sitä pyytää.
  • Älä käytä hyökkääviä, henkilöön käyviä puheenvuoroja paikalla olevia tai tilaisuudesta poissaolevia kohtaan. Asioista voi väitellä ja olla montaa mieltä loukkaamatta ketään henkilönä.
  • Jos joku rikkoo tapahtuman periaatteita, pyydä apua juontajalta, järjestäjiltä tai muilta osallistujilta. 

Tilaisuuden järjestäjät vastaavat viime kädessä tilaisuuden turvallisuudesta ja heiltä voi pyytää apua tilanteiden ratkaisemiseksi. Järjestäjät ja häirintäyhdyshenkilöt esitellään päivien aluksi.

Periaatteita rikkova henkilö voidaan poistaa tilasta, ellei hän varoituksen jälkeen korjaa käytöstään.

Yhteys

Jos sinulla on kysymyksiä tapahtumasta, otathan yhteyttä sähköpostilla [email protected].

Kohderyhmät: julkinen hallinto, kunnat, media, valtionhallinto, yliopistot ja korkeakoulut, yritykset, järjestöt ja yhteisöt, hyvinvointialueet