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ANNA-LIISA SYSIHARJU pedagogist 1919- Professor Emerita Anna-Liisa Sysiharju of the Faculty of Education, University of Helsinki, has done versatile research on education from the point of view of students, teachers, teacher education, the school and home. Gender comparisons have been a central element of Sysiharju's research. Anna-Liisa Sysiharju's doctoral dissertation on the conceptions of equality among female students entitled Equality, Home and Work was completed in 1960. This work in the field of social psychology was among the first Finnish studies on attitudes and roles. The topic originated in Sysiharju's practical experiences as a teacher, for before her academic career Sysiharju had worked at the Careers Counselling Office of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and at an institute for household management teachers (later the Institute for Home Economics Teachers). Sysiharju studied at the University of Wisconsin in 1949-1950, and focussed her research interests on social psychology and sociology, especially women and gender roles. Sysiharju collected the empirical material for her dissertation between 1951 and 1954, and wrote it while working full-time. After her dissertation, Sysiharju directed her interests towards education. She took part in an extensive Nordic study on the upper secondary school, resulting in several publications in the 1960's and 1970's. Sysiharju was appointed to the Swedish-language Professorship in Education at the University of Helsinki in 1979. Before this, she had been acting professor at the Universities of Joensuu and Helsinki on several occasions. After her retirement in 1982 , Sysiharju has continued doing research and writing, but in a whole new field: she has done genealogical studies on her family, the Gebhards and Siléns. Sysiharju embarked on a familiar subject when she started writing the history of home economics teacher training (1995). She has also been actively involved in the recording of the history of women in war-time labour service. 1 2 3 4 1 Anna-Liisa Sysiharju talking at the 75th anniversary of home economics education 1966. 2-4 Publication of Anna-Liisa Sysiharju's book on the history of home economics teacher training, December 15, 1995. Photos: Picture archive of Department of Home Economics and Craft Science, University of Helsinki.