Bakery’s call for male worker breaches Finnish equality law

A bakery in Kemijärvi, Finland, advertised on Facebook for a male employee, breaching the country’s equality law, Yle reports.

Kiuaspulla bakery’s post sought “a cheerful, early-rising man” to join its staff. Entrepreneur Tuula Lehtola said the bakery has five female employees and no men.

“Winter is coming and machines break down. We thought a man could bake alongside us in the morning and also handle other tasks,” Lehtola said.

The bakery’s official job advertisement on the national employment service refers to a person, as required by law.

The Act on Equality between Women and Men, which came into force in 1987, prohibits discrimination based on factors including gender, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, parenthood and family responsibilities. Compliance is overseen by the Ombudsman for Equality and the National Non-Discrimination and Equality Tribunal.

The Koti-Lappi newspaper was the first to report on the unusual advertisement. Its article quoted the entrepreneur as saying the bakery was looking for a man “for eye candy” and that she had not known about the requirements of the equality law.

Lehtola said the phrase had slipped into the article after an older female employee suggested that the bakery should also have a man “for eye candy”.

The Facebook post attracted attention, and Lehtola said some commenters had threatened to boycott the company.

“For an entrepreneur, these equality issues are quite a burden when you are looking for a specific person. You receive many applications, and I reply to everyone that unfortunately we cannot hire you now,” she said.

Lehtola estimated that the bakery had received about 10 applications, three of them from men. Kiuaspulla later changed the word “man” to “person” in its social media post.