Marjatta Väänänen (9 August 1923[1] – 16 October 2020)[2] was a Finnish politician who was a Member of Parliament for the Centre Party from 1975 to 1991. She served as Minister of Culture, Minister of Education, and Minister of Social Affairs and Health.
Marjatta Väänänen | |
|---|---|
 Väänänen in 1972. | |
| Member of Parliament for Uusimaa | |
| In office 1975–1991 | |
| Prime Minister | Kalevi Sorsa Harri Holkeri Esko Aho |
| Constituency | Uusimaa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 August 1923 Jyväskylä, Finland |
| Died | 16 October 2020 (aged 97) Helsinki, Finland |
| Political party | Centre Party |
| Spouse | Jouko Väänänen |
| Alma mater | University of Helsinki |
Personal life and death
editVäänänen was born on 9 August 1923 in Jyväskylä, Finland.[1] Väänänen's father Urho Kittilä was a journalist,[3] and she had younger siblings.[1] Väänänen earned a degree in 1943, and a Master's degree in 1950 from the University of Helsinki.[3] She was married to Jouko Väänänen,[3] who edited the newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus (Finnish: The Future of the Countryside) from 1968 to 1984.[1] They had three children, and seven grandchildren.[4]
Väänänen died at the age of 97 on 16 October 2020 after a long illness.[2] At the time of her death, she had been the oldest living former minister of Finnish Government.[5]
Career
editIn the 1950s, Väänänen worked as a news reporter for the Swedish Agricultural Association.[3] In the 1960s, she worked part time at Kotiliesi magazine, and in 1969 she started working at Valio.[3]
In 1971, Väänänen was elected to the Centre Party's women's organisation.[3] She later became chairperson of the women's organisation.[1] In 1972, she became the Minister of Science and Culture in Kalevi Sorsa's government.[2][6] At the 1975 Finnish parliamentary election, Väänänen was elected as a representative for Uusimaa.[3] She received the most votes of any Centre Party female candidate in the election.[3] She became the Minister of Education in Martti Miettunen's cabinet.[3] That year, she gave Martti Simojoki, Archbishop of Turku, a petition with almost a million signatures advocating for the introduction of female priests.[4] Whilst Education Minister, Väänänen implemented the rollout of the Pirkkala handout, an experiment in standardised teaching materials.[7]
In 1982, Väänänen became the Minister of Social Affairs and Health in Kalevi Sorsa's cabinet. Whilst in the role, Väänänen supported child benefit payments, anti-alcohol policies,[3] and the increase of provision of elderly care, particularly care homes.[3][5] Her home care support bill was passed in 1985, and gave more provision for young children.[4] Väänänen left Parliament after choosing not to contest the 1991 Finnish parliamentary election.[3] She served for four parliamentary terms,[1] and was seen as a controversial politician.[8] She was nicknamed Viikate-Väänänen (Scythe Väänänen).[4]
Aside from politics, Väänänen was a board member of Yle from 1967 to 1991.[3] She also wrote a column for Maaseudun Tulevaisuudessa (The Rural Future) once a week for 35 years, under the pseudonym Heikintytär.[1][4] In 1994, she was awarded the title of ministerin, the first woman to be bestowed the title.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Marjatta Väänänen (1923–2020) oli rohkea maaseudun elämän ja kulttuurin edistäjä". Maaseudun Tulevaisuus (in Finnish). 24 October 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ a b c "MT: Keskustavaikuttaja ja ministeri Marjatta Väänänen on kuollut". Iltalehti (in Finnish). 18 October 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Väänänen, Marjatta" (in Finnish). Biografiskt Lexicon för Finland. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Marjatta Väänänen 1923–2020". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 30 October 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Keskustavaikuttaja, ministeri Marjatta Väänänen on kuollut – Seppo Kääriäinen: "Hän oli arvostettu poliitiikko ja taitava kirjoittaja"" (in Finnish). Yle. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ "Marjatta Väänäsen kokemuksia 1970-luvun kulttuuripolitiikasta" (in Finnish). Yle. 8 September 2006. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
- ^ "Ns. Pirkkalan moniste (1973) - mitä todella tapahtui - itse asiassa kuultuna - Matti Louekoski" (in Finnish). Suomen Wanhat Toverit. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- ^ "Väänänen, Marjatta (1923 - 2020)" (in Finnish). Suomen kansallisbiografia. Retrieved 14 December 2020.