To promote integration of the equal opportunities for woman and man dimension in all policies and activities . Recipe n.7 What The Quota rule The Finnish Act on Equality, which entered into force at the beginning of 1987, is a general law. It applies to all areas of public life, although in practice, issues relating to work occupy a central position. Exceptions include communities, private family life and the private life of an individual. Generally, the laws deem the rights and obligations of women and men to be identical. However, in practice, the status of women and men varies in different areas. The attainment of equality is in the interests of society as a whole. Once women and men are able to participate equally in the various tasks of society, the intellectual resources of everyone can be put to more effective use for the general good, and the needs of different people can be best taken into account. How much The Act on Equality was amended in 1995 so that the minimum percentage of both women and men working in preparative and decision making bodies shall be 40. Why The amendments were made because the previous provision on equal participation by women and men did not lead to the desired result. Results The quota rule first had a significant effect on municipal decision making when the new municipal bodies were elected after the 1996 municipal election. Many of those who opposed the rule felt that there would not even be enough women interested in having a position of influence at the municipal level. These suspicions have proven to be unfounded. Women have accounted for 44.9 per cent of the members of the municipal executive boards that were elected since the election. Following the last election, the average percentage of women on boards has risen from 35 to 47 per cent. The quota rule does not apply to municipal councils elected in elections. However, the percentage of women, also in municipal councils, rose distinctly during the last election and now stands at 32 per cent. Twenty per cent of council chairs and fifteen per cent of municipal authority chairs are women. According to a survey carried out in the state administration in 1996, one year after the quota rule in the Act on Equality had come into force, 43 per cent of committee members and 37 per cent of working group members were women. Women accounted for forty per cent of the members of the administrative organs in state departments and institutions, thirty per cent in the administrative organs of state business enterprises and 24 per cent in the administrative organs of state companies. References for further information: Office of the OMBUDSMAN FOR EQUALITY - Council for Equality Mikonkatu 2 D PL 267 - FIN- 00171 HELSINKI tel: + 358 9 1601 Fax: + 358 9 160 4582 web site: www.tasa-arvo.fi or TURKU WOMEN´S CENTRE Uudenmaankatu 1 SF TURKU SF-20700 Turku FINLAND tel: + 358 2 2517 996 Fax + 358 2 2517966 email raija .ala-lipasti@naisrauha.net www.naisrauha.net