President Alexander Stubb has granted state honors to 48 Finnish fathers for the first time. The medals will be presented at the national Father's Day celebration on November 9th. This marks a historic moment as fathers receive recognition that mothers have received since 1946.
The honored fathers will receive the First Class Medal of the Order of the White Rose of Finland with golden cross. Among the recipients are Jouko Juhani Alastalo and Kari Ilari Kokkonen from Hausjärvi, along with Esko Henrikki Raudaskoski from Hattula.
These medals recognize fathers who have excelled in parenting work. Candidates must be at least 40 years old, but the number of children isn't the deciding factor for the award.
The average age of this year's recipients is 67 years. The oldest honoree is 91 years old while the youngest is 46.
These fathers have distinguished themselves not only in their family lives but also through work in child protection and family organizations, youth and sports associations, and other community groups.
Many recipients have both biological children and foster or support children. The group includes single parents, an adoptive father, and several foster parents. Some fathers have supported immigrant integration through host family activities.
Six recipients have Swedish as their native language. The honorees come from across Finland including three from Lapland, five from Northern Finland, twelve from Western and Central Finland, six from Eastern Finland, five from Southwest Finland, fifteen from Southern Finland, and two from Ã…land.
Municipalities, churches, associations, other communities, and family children could submit nominations to regional administration agencies. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health then made recommendations to the orders.
This recognition finally brings fathers' contributions to family life into the spotlight after decades of mothers receiving similar honors. The move acknowledges changing family dynamics and the evolving role of fathers in Finnish society.