Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - V. Social Movements - 2. Woman Question. By Lydia Wahlström
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tiie woman question.
737
since 1869. The number of women in libraries, banks, counting-houses, and
Government offices is largely on the increase, and in the ranks of elementary
school teachers women form a constantly increasing majority. For the training
of sick-nurses a most extensive work has been carried on in recent years, about
which see under the heading Hygiene and Care of the Sick.
Unmarried women and, under certain conditions, married women too since
1846 and 1864, have the right to carry on trade and manufactures, mechanical
work, and other trades; since 1900 women have been forbidden by law to work
in mines or quarries underground, or to take part in industrial labour within
six weeks after child birth. A prohibition was issued in 1909 against night
work for women in factories, between the hours of 10 and 5.
Swedish women develop a considerable activity in charity work, as, e. g. within
the Charity Organization Society, founded and directed by a woman, Mrs Agda
Montelius, and the Association for children’s workshops, as well as within
protection societies and those that look after public morality etc.
Women themselves have considerably contributed to the, by no means
inconsiderable results achieved in the sphere of the "Woman Question" by means of an
energetic and many-sided agitation. During 1873—96, the Society for
vindicating the proprietary rights of married women worked assiduously to improve
the position of woman. In 1896, the Swedish Women’s National Council was
founded, by means of which Swedish agitation to promote the interests of
woman has put itself into communication with corresponding agitation in other
countries; for this society constitutes the Swedish section of the International
Council of Women, founded in 1888, which now works in 25 countries and
numbers 7 to 8 million members.
Swedish Women’s National Council has for its object the promoting of
collaboration between societies, the Boards of which admit female members. Hitherto
associations with a total number of more than 39 000 members have joined
the league, amongst which may be mentioned: the Fredrika Bremer Society (see
below), the Friends of Art Needle-work, the Charity Organization Society,
Swedish Women’s League for National Defence, The White Ribbon Union, W.
C. T. U., Swedish Women’s General Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, etc. The Council represents Sweden at the quinquennial congresses
held by the International Council of Women.
At present, the activity for improving the position of women is chiefly
concentrated in the Fredrika Bremer Society which derives its name from
the illustrious lady novelist, who was one of the first to agitate for the
fuller emancipation of women in Sweden. Among the founders of this
Society is foremost to be mentioned Mrs S. Adlersparre (1823—95),
whose nom de plume is Esselde; she may be termed the real pioneer of
the women’s movement in Sweden.
The programme of the Fredrika Bremer Society, founded in 1884, which is
neutral in politics, is to promote "a sound and rational development of the work
for the advancement of women, morally and intellectually, as well as socially
and economically". The Society at present has something like 2 200
members, and is engaged on an extensive and varied field of activity. At the end
of 1913, it possessed in scholarships for women studying for the learned
professions or for different branches of trade a capital of 396 568 kronor.^ The
Society also publishes a magazine of its own at first entitled "Dagny", now
"Hertha", which was published in 1908—13 as a weekly journal. An earlier
organ for the Woman question was the Periodical for the Home (Tidskrift för
hemmet), published during 1859—85 by Mrs Adlersparre.
47—133179. Sweden. I.
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