Description
A Woman’s Paradise looks at Finland – which was the first European country to give women the vote and the first in the world to give women the right to hold public office.
FINLAND: A Good Place to Be a Woman:
Finland was also the first to have a woman as Minister of Defence. Finnish legislation stipulates women must occupy at least 40% of jobs in public administration.
NOT EVERYTHING IS ROSY:
But if Finland sounds like a paradise for women, the realities of everyday life are less rosy. Some are already beginning to talk of a “glass ceiling” to women’s opportunities, despite the country’s legislation and deep-rooted traditions. While more women graduate than men, they are seldom found in top management jobs. Although there are plenty of women politicians, they are still 20% less likely to get elected than their male counterparts. Worse still, levels of domestic violence are running very high and it is women who suffer. The divorce rate is now over 50%.
THE PRICE OF INDEPENDENCE:
Family subsidies and the economic independence of women have resulted in a higher number of women heading single-parent families. But some women are starting to wonder whether their freedom has been bought too dearly. This film examines all the issues.