Finland's Tuula Haatainen sees positive gender signals in EU

On her first job as a young nurse in the early 1980s, Tuula Haatainen experienced first hand what discrimination of women meant.

"I felt there was an old-fashioned hierarchy, just like in the army, and today I can still see that it is lingering in the background. It opened my eyes."

Her work in psychiatric hospitals, in criminal care and in accident and emergency rooms also gave her an insight into the darker sides of life.

“I was young then, and I was forced to think things through which young people normally don't have to think about. Not only how they influence on an individual level, but also in society as a whole."

She put aside plans to travel the world to help poor people. It was also the beginning of her involvement in women liberation work. She combined political science studies with a life as an active feminist, as general secretary of the social democratic women's movement, and a deputy leadership at the Socialist Women's International.

But to influence society you need a political platform, and Tuula Haatainen gained a parliamentary seat in 1995. Today the 46 year-old mother of two is into her second government period. She sees politics as a collective effort, not a game for individualists. Personally she does not mind appearing in public, staging "Tuula's hour" where people can approach her to talk about life's highs and lows. Three weeks ago she visited a hospital, before that she's been to old people's homes, schools, day schools. "This is the way I do things, and I want to do it outside of the political sphere, and not restrict my visits to social democratic clubs. I follow the programme set out by the party and government, but feel politics is an area where you use your heart, brains and creativity."

Tuula Haatainens experience is that people will happily talk about what they want to achieve, how they think about changing their lives, and what they think should be better. She wants to be there to listen and to talk herself.

"I want to meet people out and about, on foot, not just go to meetings and read reports."