Pericycle

And what lessons could other countries learn from Finland? A major difference, when compared, for example, to central and southern Europe, is gender equality. For decades, Finnish women have had their jobs outside home, and this has been supported by the state: we have an excellent and affordable communal day-care system and equal high-quality basic education systems. Being a woman has not hindered my scientific career. However, I notice the difference, when I travel south. A concrete example: I was interviewed for the Centre of Excellence call when 8 months pregnant. A German colleague said that she would never have passed the interview in her country, looking so pregnant. It did not even occur to me that my physical appearance or life situation would somehow affect the outcome of my interview. It did not. We were selected for Centre of Excellence of the Academy of Finland.