A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book
Gender, family policies and the gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland
Authors: Mesiäislehto, Merita; Salin, Milla; Hakovirta, Mia
Editors: Sung, Sirin
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication year: 2025
Book title : Gender, Family and Policy: International Perspectives
Journal name in source: Gender, Family and Policy: International Perspectives
Series title: New Horizons in Social Policy series
First page : 60
Last page: 76
ISBN: 978-1-80220-554-1
eISBN: 978-1-80220-555-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802205558.00011
Web address : https://doi.org/10.4337/9781802205558.00011
Abstract
As a Nordic country, Finland is often seen as one of the forerunners of gender equality and has long been acknowledged for the family-friendly welfare state that has also fostered a high degree of defamilization. The COVID-19 pandemic posed a new challenge to the Finnish welfare state and its functioning as it had a significant impact on employment, earnings and the division of care responsibilities among families. This chapter discusses the gender and family policies in Finland and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on gender equality and wellbeing of families. We analyze (1) how well gender and family policies meet their goals in supporting different types of families in society, (2) the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on gender equality and families in Finland in terms of employment and income and reconciliation of paid work and childcare, and (3) the role of policies in supporting families during the crisis. Our results show that like other countries, in Finland the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis disproportionately hit women who largely worked in service jobs affected by the crisis. Women also mostly shouldered the responsibility of the increased care burden during the first months of the pandemic. Nevertheless, our findings indicate that most of the negative gendered effects in Finland were temporary.
As a Nordic country, Finland is often seen as one of the forerunners of gender equality and has long been acknowledged for the family-friendly welfare state that has also fostered a high degree of defamilization. The COVID-19 pandemic posed a new challenge to the Finnish welfare state and its functioning as it had a significant impact on employment, earnings and the division of care responsibilities among families. This chapter discusses the gender and family policies in Finland and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on gender equality and wellbeing of families. We analyze (1) how well gender and family policies meet their goals in supporting different types of families in society, (2) the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on gender equality and families in Finland in terms of employment and income and reconciliation of paid work and childcare, and (3) the role of policies in supporting families during the crisis. Our results show that like other countries, in Finland the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis disproportionately hit women who largely worked in service jobs affected by the crisis. Women also mostly shouldered the responsibility of the increased care burden during the first months of the pandemic. Nevertheless, our findings indicate that most of the negative gendered effects in Finland were temporary.
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