Guided mini-tour: Pioneering academic women

Walk in the footsteps of the first Finnish academic women! Who were they and what barriers and biases did they face during their studies? Did you know that women once had to obtain special dispensation because of their gender to pursue university education in Finland?

These brave, ambitious and determined women later played important roles in Finnish society. For example, Tekla Hultin, the first Finnish woman to earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree, was also among the first women elected as a Member of Parliament. During the oppressive years of Russification in Finland, she participated in the women’s Kagal, or resistance movement. Karolina Eskelin, the first Finnish woman to complete a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery degree, went on to establish her own hospital.

Join us for tours on Tuesday, 18 November 2025 at 14.00 (in Finnish) and 15.00 (in English). The approximately 30-minute tour is included in the ticket price (10/7/0 euros, with the Finnish Museum Card entry is free). We will meet at the ticket desk of Helsinki University Museum Flame’s exhibition centre (Fabianinkatu 33, Helsinki). No registration is required.