written by Maija Tuomola, Teacher, and Raija Salo, Expert, Lounais-Hämeen koulutuskuntayhtymä
In Finland, gender equality work is guided by several actors, such as the Council for Gender Equality (TANE), the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Finnish National Agency for Education. In recent years, the objectives have particularly emphasized reducing gender segregation in education, strengthening gender-sensitive pedagogy, and ensuring equal educational pathways for all students regardless of gender.
The Council for Gender Equality’s government programme objectives for 2027–2031 include 11 objectives and 52 proposed measures aimed at strengthening the realization of gender equality in the coming years. From the perspective of education, the aim is to prevent gender segregation and strengthen gender-sensitive approaches in early childhood education and care and at all levels of education.
The proposed measures include, among other things, systematically promoting gender sensitivity at all levels of education and including compulsory studies on the promotion of gender equality in the initial education of early childhood educators and teachers. In addition,the gendered nature of applications to and student selection for post-secondary education should be assessed, and equal access to education regardless of gender should be ensured.
The skills and literacy of comprehensive school-aged children should be strengthened, particularly among boys in vulnerable positions, and gendered educational choices should continue to be dismantled.The European Commission has also published a new Gender Equality Strategy for 2026–2030.The aim of the strategy is to translate gender equality objectives into concrete measures that strengthen the empowerment of women and girls, actively involve men and boys in gender equality work, prevent the weakening of fundamental rights, and accelerate the realization of genuine equality in Europe.
The strategy places particular emphasis on the following measures:
- combating gender-based violence and online violence
- strengthening the participation of boys and men in gender equality work, particularly toprevent gender polarization
- ensuring equal access to health services and taking a gender-sensitive perspective into account in healthcare
strengthening high-quality, inclusive, gender-sensitive education - promoting gender equality across different sectors of the economy, especially by increasing women’s participation in research, development, and startup companies
- narrowing gender pay and pension gaps
- supporting women’s safe and equal participation in politics.
How Can the Objectives and Measures Be Reflected in Vocational Education and Training?
Diversifying Educational and Career Choices
Students should be encouraged to enter different fields based on their own interests and competence, regardless of gender. In guidance counselling, this means, for example, encouraging women to pursue fields such as technology, construction, and logistics, while encouraging men to consider social services, healthcare, and education. The aim is to reduce gender segregation in the labour market, increase the availability of skilled labour in different sectors, and strengthen students’ ability to identify their own strengths and opportunities.
Strengthening Teachers’ Competence
Teachers’ awareness of gender equality and non-discrimination should be increased through training. At the same time, their capacity to recognize unconscious bias and build safe learning environments that support all students should be strengthened.
Developing Gender Equality Plans
Educational institutions’ gender equality plans should pay greater attention to monitoring and evaluating objectives. The plans should include tools for assessing, for example, the gender distribution of student admissions, student dropout rates, access to work-based learning placements, students’ experiences of equality and non-discrimination, and the equality and possible gendered nature of learning materials and teaching.
Narrowing Learning Gaps
Learning gaps can be reduced by strengthening students’ basic skills, working life skills, and vocational competence while taking individual support needs into account. Narrowing learning gaps improves opportunities for further studies and facilitates the transition to working life.
Preventing Polarization
Educational institutions can prevent polarization between genders, for example, by organizinggender equality workshops, strengthening the teaching of emotional and interaction skills, and increasing media literacy. It is particularly important to teach students to recognize gendered confrontation, hate speech, and deliberate influence in social media. Joint projects and consistent intervention in discriminatory or gendered speech strengthen students’ participation in promoting equality.
Strengthening Entrepreneurship and Financial Skills
Strengthening entrepreneurship and financial education increases students’ ability to influence their own future, promotes financial well-being, and supports active citizenship.
Summary
National strategies and European Union strategies and action programmes also guide gender equality work in vocational education and training. Education providers have a significant opportunity to promote gender equality and non-discrimination in their own operations, planning, and leadership. This is not only about fulfilling legal obligations, but also about values and value-based leadership.In the everyday life of an educational institution, teachers and other staff can have a concrete impact on the realization of gender equality through their own actions. By strengthening gender equality, they also strengthen students’ well-being, participation, belief in the future, and sense of safety.
Sources
- Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030: A More Equal, Cohesive and Prosperous Europe.
- Council for Gender Equality. Government Programme Objectives 2027–2031.
- European Commission. Measures Promoting Gender Equality.
- European Commission. Gender Equality Strategy 2026–2030.