Tarja Halonen of the Social Democratic Party became the first female president of Finland in 2000. She was born in 1943 in Helsinki, in a working class neighborhood of Kallio. Her stubbornness and perseverance goes a long way toward explaining her success. The transformation of the Finnish economy, society and political sphere forms the other half of the answer. The building of the welfare state offered women a credible role in participating in the government of the country. The end of the Cold War completely transformed Finnish foreign policy. Since the late 1980s, Finland has aimed at improving national security through international cooperation and promoting democratization. The career of Tarja Halonen epitomises the Finnish concept of female citizenship, which has traditionally given women a relatively important role in matters of “soft” politics such as health and welfare services. In the case of Halonen, this has meant promotion of human rights, democratization and global equality.