Miina Sillanpää 150th anniversary
Miina Sillanpää, a strong woman, improving the rights and conditions of domestic workers with key values fairness and equality.
Miina Sillanpää was voted to the first Parliament in 1907 as one of the first of 19 female MPs in Finland. She remained a member of parliament for a total of 38 years, to this day holding the record for a female representative. She was Minister of Social Affairs in 1926-27.
As a journalist, Miina Sillanpää took a strong stand on the social problems she observed. Miina Sillanpää’s key values, fairness and equality, motivated her work. She was active and made a real difference in Finnish society.
She was not afraid to tackle social injustices and she fought to improve the conditions of those coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. She improved the conditions of working women and their families, started shelters for single mothers and their children and advocated the improvement of the status of the elderly in society.
In addition to her political career, Miina Sillanpää was a significant thought leader, who left her mark in many sectors in society that are still visible. Miina Sillanpää was awarded the Finnish Cultural Foundation prize and the honorary title of talousneuvos for her achievements.