After hearing the demo of the song Rakenteet, Tehy president Millariikka Rytkönen saw that it was not only a touching hit, but also an act for equality.
– I got chills and tears in my eyes when I heard Rakenteet for the first time. Few songs are so insightful, touching and empowering at the same time. The lyrics perfectly capture and dismantle discriminatory social structures. It's time to break the glass ceilings! It is a great honour for Tehy to introduce this song to the public to empower our members and promote equality in Finland, says Millariikka Rytkönen.
The song has been released on Spotify and on the Tehy website.
This is the first time that a Finnish trade union has published an artist's song
Tehy uses pop culture to highlight inequality, gender discrimination and the undervaluing of care work in the female-dominated healthcare, social welfare and early childhood education and care sectors. At the same time, it promotes the work of trade unions and empowers its members through music.
Hanna Pakarinen hopes that her song and its story will inspire Finnish women to break away from unequal structures and break glass ceilings, to find their own voice and to fulfil themselves.
– I think it's great to work together for the members of Tehy, because the healthcare, social welfare and education sectors in particular are female-dominated and women do important work for all of us. Without these skilled and professional women, our society would not function, says Pakarinen.
The song was originally born out of a personal need, and it has given a lot of comfort to the artist herself.
– Being able to be seen and heard through culture, to verbalise emotions, sends a powerful message to society: there are structures that need to be fixed and these things are true. We have the right to be seen and heard, says Pakarinen.
Enquiries:
Requests for interviews with Tehy President Millariikka Rytkönen and Musician Hanna Pakarinen should be addressed to Special Advisor Mila Huovinen at [email protected], tel. +358 400 540 005
Other matters concerning Hanna Pakarinen: [email protected]
