Could you please introduce yourself?

I work as the Development Director at the Regional Council of Lapland, having overall responsibility on programme-based regional development and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Just Transition Fund (JTF) financing on regional level as intermediate body and on Lapland Smart Specialisation Strategy.

I have a Master of Education from the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland, pedagogical qualification from the Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OAMK), Finland and Vocational examination on management from School of Management. I have also taken studies on leadership at the University of Lapland.

My daily work is international, actively participating in national and international networks such as Northern Sparcely Populated Areas (NSPA), Barents and North Calotte. I am also a member of Baltic Sea Region Directors’ network and of the DG Regio’s European Community of Practice on Partnership (ECOPP-EC).

Could you describe your organisation in a few words?

The Regional Council of Lapland is a statutory joint municipal authority, the members of which are all of the 21 municipalities of Lapland.  We are responsible for regional development, land use planning and safeguarding of the interests of the most northern, geographically most extensive and the most international region in Finland. Our work centers on the wellbeing of Lapland’s people, as well as the living force, pulling force and holding force of Lapland.

We act as an intermediate body for ERDF and JTF in Lapland, and also participate actively in the implementation of the Interreg Aurora programme. We are active partners in international projects, and we also support other local organisations’ participation in them. 

Could you give us some facts and figures, or a description of the status-quo related to the situation of gender equality in your region? What are the challenges encountered?

In the Regional Council of Lapland, we have 56 employees, of which 85 % (47 persons) are female and 16 % (9 persons) are male. As such, the situation does not cause problems, but it is well known that more equal balance of genders in an organization has a positive effect on the atmosphere, which is why we also try to effect this via recruitment. As the most important selection criteria in recruitments is expertise and suitability to the task, gender balance is not often discussed in those situations.

In Lapland, and in Finland overall, women are overruling men in public organisations. Today, it is more common to have female-dominating organisations and, gradually, that is visible also in higher positions. As such, this situation does not cause challenges, but having a more equal balance of genders in organizations widens the diversification of discussions and brainstorming, and also gives more room for different opinions.  

What comes to the private sector, and more so in the technological sector or basic industries, the situation is different, most of the employees being males.

What levers do you see possible to address these challenges or to improve the situation you just described? Where do you see clusters playing a role in the process?

We see digitalization, Industry 4.0, as one of the key solutions in increasing the interest of women towards basic industries. Via digitization of factories and the tasks that traditionally have been considered as “male-tasks”, it is possible to raise the interest of women. 

The role of clusters in area is important, mainly in giving good examples and sharing good practices, thus spreading positive atmosphere towards multigender workplaces.

Do companies in your region face recruitment difficulties? Would you say that efforts to create a (more) gender equal environment lead to solutions to overcome these difficulties and why?

We, as Regional Council of Lapland (RCL), have not yet faced difficulties in recruitment. Typically, we recruit persons for administrative tasks within regional development and project administration. Most of those who apply for work positions from RCL, are women, and women are chosen for those positions more typically than men. 

In our tasks and positions gender does not make any difference, we have not used any specific methods or approaches in our recruitment. For us, gender equality means that we offer possibilities regardless of the gender, i.e., anyone can apply and can be recruited. 

Do you think that companies in your region are aware of gender equality rules? Do they know how to comply with these rules? What would be helpful for them? 

I think that overall, the public administration is very aware of gender equality rules and knows how to comply with them. An equality plan is required by law from all public organizations that have more than 50 employees.

In the private sector however, mainly in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and micro companies, the situation is not so good. Again, good examples might help in raising awareness of the issue. These could be spread in trainings and seminars, but also via visible campaigns that are easily available for all.  

Would you say working on gender mainstreaming can bring solutions to other challenges you observe (retaining female human resources in organisations by addressing issues such as equality in wages, work-life balance, fight against sexist acts, populating rural areas, etc.)?

Yes, it is clear that there is a connection between these.

Could you please tell us why gender equality is important for you personally and for your organization?

Gender equality increases well-being in organisations and gives the possibility to have more diverse discussions and brainstorming, and gives more room for different opinions. It enables balance in workplaces. The Regional Council can also act as an example for other organisations and increase the awareness on the positive effects and raise gender equality as one factor of pulling the force of employees. 

What is the perspective of a woman enabling policy change?

For me, it is very important to increase female-participation in higher positions, to support young women in setting their goals high and believing in themselves. As a mother of three young women, I have always felt that I have to show, with my own example, that anyone is capable of the tasks and duties they want to achieve. It is not about gender but it is about talent and suitability.

What would be your closing word? Your main message on advancing gender equality approaches in companies/clusters/public authorities/governments?

We have to acknowledge the effect of gender equality in order to be able to act accordingly and to utilise it as a competitive factor.