“Pregnancy discrimination is shockingly common – this cannot continue!” How will the minister in charge of equality deliver on her promise of a year ago?
The Finnish government is carrying out a complete overhaul of our working life, with reforms that are based solely on the wishes of the employers. The government programme states that more effective measures will be targeted to the prevention of discrimination on the grounds of pregnancy and family leave, in particular. This is not what is happening. The campaign for dismantling barriers of employment led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo strives to make applying fixed-term contracts easier. Whereas, now that these contracts can only be applied on the basis of the grounds laid down by law, in the future, the employer would be allowed to sign fixed-term contracts with their new employee for a year without any specific reason.
In a survey commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health from Statistics Finland, 44 % of employees in fixed-term contracts reported having experienced pregnancy discrimination. Systematic discrimination is rife in the social welfare and healthcare sector, where a chain of fixed-term contracts often ends when an employee announces their pregnancy. The government’s planned change is yet another way to make not renewing a contract the more attractive option. When no justification is needed for these contracts, it is easy not to sign an employment contract with a person who has submitted a notification of family leave.
Investigations into the matter have already highlighted the apparent increase in discrimination. One of the government parties even raised concerns about the issue based on media reports. A new section to the law was invented to solve the problem; an employment contract may not be concluded for a fixed term on discriminatory grounds.
The most common story in the social welfare and healthcare sector is that pregnancy is rewarded with the lack of an employment contract.
This seems like a deceptive little trick for two different reasons. Firstly, the Act on Equality between Women and Men has prohibited the conclusion and non-renewal of fixed-term contracts on a discriminatory basis for more than thirty years. Despite this, pregnancy discrimination is still common. Entering the prohibition into law does not work, no matter in how many laws it stands. If prohibiting an action worked, you could just as easily stick a note on the largest Christmas chocolate box, stating ‘only two pieces per person per day’ or label a bottle of wine with the prohibition of ‘do not drink for the purposes of getting intoxicated’.
Secondly, the most common story in the social welfare and healthcare sector is that pregnancy is rewarded with the lack of an employment contract. The fixed-term contracts of other ‘available’ employees will be renewed, but those about to start their family leave will be warmly welcomed only after they are ready to return to work. This means that no employment contract will be signed – on a discriminatory basis or otherwise – and that the new section in the Employment Contracts Act will likely only help the government parties in their explanations on how the ‘strong and committed’ Finland can allow this.
The change has been justified by making hiring employees easier for SMEs. No one has explained why it will also apply to large operators. The large employers in the social welfare and healthcare sector – the largest employers in Finland – will not hire any more workers because they do not have any more funding. Instead, they will be eager to seize the opportunity to take on temporary workers, even for permanent labour needs. Employers will be allowed to pick and choose workers who will be there to do the work while avoiding the obligation to pay three months' wages during pregnancy leave. The use of fixed-term contracts will then only increase at the same rate as discrimination.
Pregnancy discrimination is one of the key equality issues in working life. The minister promoting equality promised that this cannot continue. In a way, the promise holds true. This will not continue. It will just get even worse.
Further reading: an opinion piece (in finnish) by Tehy's president Millariikka Rytkönen and lawyer Päivi Vanninen, published in Helsingin Sanomat on 23 October 2025.
