The Finnish Club in Helsinki decided to keep its men-only membership policy. Members voted on whether to admit women but the proposal fell short of the required 75% support. It received 66.5% in favor.
The vote means a rule from the 1960s limiting membership to men will remain in place. The club needed 1,365 votes for change but got only 686 against. Voter turnout reached 72%.
Club Chairman Veli-Pekka Dufva called the result a huge disappointment. He said everything was at stake in this vote. Eight of the club's nine board members had promised to resign if women were not admitted.
Dufva confirmed all eight board members, including himself, will step down at year's end. The club's autumn meeting on November 20 will select new board members.
The chairman explained the board worked hard to expand membership. He said this was crucial for both the club's purpose and finances. Dufva noted they cannot continue despite most members wanting them to stay.
He thanked all members for sincere and dignified discussion. The chairman acknowledged this was a democratic outcome that they must accept.
Author Jari Tervo announced on social media he would leave the club following the vote. Last year's chairman Raimo Ilveskero resigned after a similar vote in September.
That previous vote saw nearly 70% support for admitting women. The Finnish Club was founded in 1876 as a cultural club for Finnish men of different ages.
The club had about 3,000 members in mid-September. Dufva had earlier stated they wanted to increase membership numbers. He emphasized equality mattered more than the club's vitality.
Dufva said they had excluded half of society. Having women involved would make the club much more significant in society. He declined to specify opponents' views but said they related to men having their own space.
This vote reveals the challenge traditional institutions face adapting to modern equality standards. The club now loses most of its leadership while maintaining a policy that excludes women.
Why did the Finnish Club board resign?
Eight board members promised to step down if women weren't admitted, seeing membership expansion as crucial to the club's purpose and finances.
When will new board members be selected?
The club's autumn meeting on November 20 will choose new leadership for the organization.