The increasing presence of women is transforming many arenas of society including politics, one of the most enduring bastions of male dominance.

Former Finnish president Tarja Halonen has been one of the trailblazers in shattering the glass ceiling in the political world. During her tenure, her approval rating peaked at over 80 percent in her country, earning her the nickname “Mother of Finland.”

“The fact that there are more and more women in parliaments and governments and there are more women as presidents tells (us) that stereotypes on gender have changed,” Halonen said in an interview with The Korea Herald.

“I think ... women have a different experience, and it can be very helpful and it can serve the country very well.”

The first female president of the Northern European country, who served from 2000 to 2012, was in Seoul to participate in the World Women Economic Forum hosted by local Web-based news outlet edaily. Her maximum two six-year terms ended in March.

The roles of men and women in modern society are increasingly converging.

“We have different kinds of resources, talents that give more flexibility to the role of woman and man. Stereotypes have disappeared quite fast.”

Even though Finland has held the idea of gender equality for a long time, people couldn’t help but question how their first female president would be.

“Of course, (having the female president) was an interest. (People would have thought) how she can do that? But they quickly get used to it because everything went well as normal.

“I say that we women could use the extra attention we receive. But do it as well as possible.”

Sharing her many years of being a woman leader, Halonen said women should openly accept criticism without taking it too seriously.

“Women take criticism (towards them) very intimately. But don’t think that is (directed at) you ― this criticism was made based on stereotypes (created) by different countries on women. It is not about you,” she said. “Don’t start crying; take it with a sense of humor.”

Halonen started as a lawyer for a labor union in Finland and began her political career by joining the Social Democratic Party in 1971. Before elected as the president, she served as minister of social affairs and health, minister of justice and minister of foreign affairs.

“I am not born to be a feminist. I have been a person who has being the first one in many cases. I haven’t done that because (people said) women should do, but I wanted to do that,” Halonen said.

“So it is not enough that you want to become something. But you have to have substance ― what you want to do.”

Balancing work and family wasn’t easy for her, either, like other women in the world. There should be a helping hand to support working women and for society as a whole, Halonen said.

During her term as health minister, she worked to increase both maternity and paternity leave and offer various benefits to parents raising their kids.

Her government in the 1980s and ‘90s built more day-care centers and granted government subsidies. The birth rate in Finland grew following the measures.

“We’ve got positive response in birth rate when we made long maternity leaves and organized better day cares ― birth rate grew. It is quite true that both young women and men dream to have children, two or three. But in practice, they get only one or two,” she said.

“I think one side is achievable in all societies but if you want to have families get more (babies), you have to give a helping hand.”

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)