Former Finnish PM Sanna Marin details misogynistic abuse, rape threats and constant questioning of competence her all-female government faced.
HELSINKI: Finland’s former prime minister Sanna Marin has revealed the torrent of sexism and online abuse her female-led government endured during their time in power.
In her newly published memoir “Hope in Action: A Memoir About the Courage to Lead”, Marin describes the misogynistic harassment targeting her coalition of five women party leaders.
The 34-year-old became the world’s youngest elected head of government in 2019, leading a centre-left coalition with four other women under 35.
She writes that the Finnish female party leaders faced “a never-ending stream of mainly sexually charged online threats”.
“I have been threatened with rape and other forms of sexual assault so many times that I have lost count,” Marin reveals.
The coalition leaders were dismissively nicknamed the “lipstick government” and the “girl government” by critics.
“Our competence and leadership skills were constantly questioned without any attempt to justify the allegations,” she adds.
Marin says her government’s behaviour was moralised in ways reminiscent of times when women needed male escorts in restaurants.
Despite her global popularity as a “rock star prime minister”, Marin faced media storms over her private life.
Leaked 2022 videos showing her partying with Finnish celebrities prompted international headlines and a drug test to clear suspicions.
When asked if she would have acted differently, Marin responds: “What kind of life would that be?”
She concludes that her real political crime was not behaving as expected of a prime minister.
Marin left politics after her Social Democrats lost the April 2023 election, joining the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as a strategic counsellor. – AFP
