The research project GePoCo, funded by the Academy of Finland (2016-2020) and previously by the University of Helsinki Research Funds (2015-2017), explores the nexus between corporatism, power and gender. Gender equality is an often-ignored question in the tripartite negotiations between trade unions, employers organizations and the government, and its legitimacy left in the grey zone. Yet the question of gender in the corporatist system has not disappeared: issues such as the gendered effects of the competitiveness pact or the wages of the kindergarten teachers have received public attention. At the same time, the corporatist is under pressure to change. We describe this change by using the concept of reconfigured corporatism.
Background
The goal of the project is to produce mostly qualitative research about gender equality and corporatism. This includes interviews, ethnography and analysis of public documents. The project has already produced publications and its results have been presented at both national and international conferences.
Goal
Considering the crucial role played by the corporatist system in Finland there is strikingly little research into its gendered practices in relation to different policy fields or as gendered organizations and decision-making. We are undertaking these tasks in this project by conducting empirical research at local, national and transnational level.
First, we collect ethnographic data from the local level of trade union activism and its gendered negotiations and practices. We explore who has a legitimate position to interpret, define and implement gender equality in these processes. Second, we study the national level corporatist negotiations where gender equality norms and policies are negotiated. We provide insights about the gendered norms and practices that these negotiations are based upon and about women and gender equality experts access to negotiations and boundaries to it. Third, we study the transnational level of the EU where gender equality questions are formulated in a social dialogue. The EU has opened a new playing field for corporatist actors in relation to gender equality.
Funding source
Academy of Finland, University of Helsinki research funds 2015-2017