Gender (In)equality and the Finnish Welfare State during the Post-War Era
Hyttinen, Marika; Matila, Tuuli; Kelloniemi, Aleksi; Seitsonen, Oula (2026-02-27)
BAR publishing
27.02.2026
Hyttinen, M., Matila, T., Kelloniemi, A., & Seitsonen, O. (2026). Gender (in)equality and the Finnish welfare state during the post-war era. In T. Matila, M. Hyttinen, & O. Seitsonen (eds.), The contemporary archaeology of inequality: Material culture and social change (pp. 9-22). BAR Publishing. https://doi.org/10.30861/9781407363059
https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This is an Accepted Manuscript version of a chapter published in The Contemporary Archaeology of Inequality: Material culture and social change, edited by Tuuli Matila, Marika Hyttinen and Oula Seitsonen, published by BAR Publishing. This version is free to view and download for personal use only. It cannot be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. The full text is available here: https://www.barpublishing.com/book/the-contemporary-archaeology-of-inequality/
https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
This is an Accepted Manuscript version of a chapter published in The Contemporary Archaeology of Inequality: Material culture and social change, edited by Tuuli Matila, Marika Hyttinen and Oula Seitsonen, published by BAR Publishing. This version is free to view and download for personal use only. It cannot be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. The full text is available here: https://www.barpublishing.com/book/the-contemporary-archaeology-of-inequality/
https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202604142598
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202604142598
Tiivistelmä
Abstract
The Finnish welfare state was created during the post-war decades in 1950–80. One of its objectives was to recognize equal rights and opportunities for every citizen in society and in all fields of life. Gender equality was promoted, for example, by giving financial support to families with children and contributing to childcare arrangements. The new policy improvements enabled mothers’ employment outside the home and gave them the opportunity to achieve financial independence. This paper addresses a working-class community who lived in a neighbourhood called Vaakunakylä, in the outskirts of the city of Oulu, Finland, during the founding decades of the welfare state. The archaeological record found on the site illustrates that women’s wellbeing was improving in terms of social, physical and economic factors. Although policies and social reforms were starting to build greater gender equality, the material culture seen through the lens of feminist theories shows that there were still gender biases woven deep into the fabric of a society.
The Finnish welfare state was created during the post-war decades in 1950–80. One of its objectives was to recognize equal rights and opportunities for every citizen in society and in all fields of life. Gender equality was promoted, for example, by giving financial support to families with children and contributing to childcare arrangements. The new policy improvements enabled mothers’ employment outside the home and gave them the opportunity to achieve financial independence. This paper addresses a working-class community who lived in a neighbourhood called Vaakunakylä, in the outskirts of the city of Oulu, Finland, during the founding decades of the welfare state. The archaeological record found on the site illustrates that women’s wellbeing was improving in terms of social, physical and economic factors. Although policies and social reforms were starting to build greater gender equality, the material culture seen through the lens of feminist theories shows that there were still gender biases woven deep into the fabric of a society.
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