Differences between men and women have grown swiftly in recent decades and the trend shows no signs of waning. According to Statistics Finland, 111,000 people graduated from university between 2006 and 2010. Sixty-two percent of these were women.
Women form a majority at nearly all Finnish universities. Only three, the Tampere University of Technology, Aalto University and the Lappeenranta University of Technology, have more males in attendance.
Men are more likely to finish their schooling at the secondary education level, i.e., vocational or high school, than women. The gender difference is particularly visible between the ages of 30 and 40. According to Statistics Finland, almost one out of every five men in Finland has only a primary school education, compared to just one in 10 women.
People with a higher education tend to enjoy a better employment situation and longer careers. The central statistics office says people in Finland with a higher education typically accumulate over 10 more years of work than those with just a primary school education. Jobs available to people with just a primary school education have dropped by a third in the last decade.
Are separate schools the solution?
Seppo Mäkinen, a specialist child and youth psychiatrist, is concerned about this educational disparity. He says that educational differences are also reflected in, for example, how families are constructed, if educated women have trouble finding spouses.
Mäkinen says one reason for the differing education levels of men and women can be traced back to primary school. The development of teenage boys is two years behind that of girls. According to Mäkinen, the current school system supports that development of girls, but cannot meet the learning style and ability of boys.
As an alternative, he proposes a school system that would proceed according to the development of the different genders, with due consideration for individuals.
Continued studies choice comes too early
Finland’s teaching professionals say they are of the opinion that young people are forced to decide on their future schooling options too early. Aulis Pitkälä, Director General of the Finnish National Board of Education, agrees that the application period for continuing education comes too soon for many. New plans from the Board of Education seek to place more emphasis on the individual.
“Young people have to make the choice too early in life, when they may not understand the world or themselves fully. It’s a problem. But now, when the situation is like this, young people must be helped to make choices that have a lasting effect on their life,” says Pitkälä.
There are no plans to move the joint application period however. On the contrary, the teacher’s union OAJ opposes the idea.
“It would be important not to move the application period up a few months, at any rate. The best solution would be to find ways to extend the length of compulsory education,” says OAJ’s Education Director Heljä Misukka.
Kirsi Ihalainen, a special needs teacher who has worked in Helsinki for 30 years, agrees.
“Boys are forced to make the choice too young. If they just barely make it through primary school, they drop out of the system before high school, which in turn affects their opportunities for further education,” she says.
“Girls can be overachievers, but boys have to be tough”
Boys at Helsinki's Alppila Upper Secondary School say people should remember that teenage boys and girls are at different developmental stages.
“It’s pretty hard for a 15-year-old guy to sit still for eight hours a day,” says high school student Mikko Kivenne.
His buddy, Miko Kyllönen, is of the same opinion. He knows that there are just as many hard-working boys as girls in his class, just as there are as many school drop-outs in both genders. But peer pressure can have a great effect on young people’s behaviour.
“Maybe it’s easier for girls to be overachievers at school, and boys have to be just a little bit tougher,” says Kyllönen.
Teacher Ihalainen says girls also take advantage of community services, like youth activities and other pursuits, better than boys.
“Boys should be better steered towards extracurricular activities and encouraged to stick with them. This would support their development and, by extension, everything else they do,” she says.
The proposal for separate girls and boys schools does not enjoy much support at the Finnish Board of Education. Director Pitkälä says he understand the concerns and the rationale behind the proposal, but does not see separate schools as a solution in today’s Finland. Teacher Ihalainen and the students agree.
“Primary school isn’t just about studying school subjects; it is also a place to develop social skills. If boys and girls were separated, it would hamper social development, which is important for not just post-graduate studies, but for life in general,” says Kivenne.