A little more than a century ago, the newly independent nation of Finland experienced a short but brutal civil war. Though the conflict left deep scars, a culture of working together helped former enemies reconcile and allowed the country to progress relatively quickly in its nation-building process.
Finland awards the International Gender Equality Prize, the first high-profile prize of its kind in the world, to someone who has advanced equality among genders. Rather than collecting the prize money, that person selects a cause to receive a major contribution.
Second-least corrupt country
Source: Corruption Perceptions Index
in the world to grant women the right to vote (#1 in Europe)
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Miina Sillanpää rose from poverty to become one of the first women in the Finnish Parliament and an influential social advocate who helped the cause of women, the elderly and the disadvantaged. Finnish flags fly on October 1 in memory of her contributions.
The year Finland became independent
