Fewer than half of women in Finland (46%) think Finnish society is fair, according to findings of a survey carried out by E2 Research.
The survey found that while people in upper income brackets can handle changing situations well, the same is not true for the socio-economically disadvantaged, the research institute explained in a press release on Tuesday.
Despite the differences, "a clear majority of Finns trust in society’s capacity to solve problems", and people in Finland are also looking for a "strong leader", according to the release.
There were stark differences in opinion concerning the issue of societal fairness. Just over half (52%) of all survey respondents said society treated people like them fairly. At the same time 45 percent held the opposite sentiment.
Forty-six percent of women thought that society treats them fairly, while 50 percent of females said the opposite. At the same time, 59 percent of male respondents said they thought society treated people like them fairly.
"Women’s experiences of unfairness may come from both their personal lives and societal pressures. In Finland, women bear the brunt of housework and childcare. Alongside that, women carry a large professional responsibility for healthcare and eldercare, which our review shows are big areas of concern for Finns. In addition to personal experiences, the public debate may reinforce women’s experiences of unfairness," Ville Pitkänen, E2's research manager, said in the release.
There were income-related differences in people's fairness perceptions, according to the research. About 37 percent of those earning less than 1,600 euros per month said they think society treated them fairly. However, a clear majority of people who earned more agreed with that sentiment.
Around 70 percent of respondents said they felt capable of carrying out their "main daily occupations." However, 19 percent — or proportionately more than 800,000 people — consider their capabilities weak rather than good, according to the findings.
Again, socio-economic status appeared to play a role in the differences, with higher earners offering significantly more positive assessments of their abilities than those in lower income brackets.
"When hundreds of thousands of people feel that the capabilities at their disposal are weak, and they don’t use their potential, it raises a big societal and human question in an ageing Finland," Pitkänen noted in the release.
The main concerns people had included rising cost of living (68%), the condition of the country's healthcare system (64%), care for the elderly (60%), problems with mental health (58%) and the wellbeing of young people (53%).
How are we doing? A review of Finns’ mental landscape in 2023 was published by E2 Research on 31 October 2023. It was based on results of a survey of more than 1,000 residents in Finland in August, and also drew information from an similarly sized survey carried out in April.
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