Danish Women's Society

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Julie Arenholt and Gyrithe Lemche in 1922. Both headed the Danish Women's Society. Julie Arentholt and Gyrithe Lemche in 1922.jpg
Julie Arenholt and Gyrithe Lemche in 1922. Both headed the Danish Women's Society.

The Danish Women's Society or DWS (Danish : Dansk Kvindesamfund) is Denmark's oldest women's rights organization. It was founded in 1871 by activist Matilde Bajer and her husband Fredrik Bajer; Fredrik was a Member of Parliament and the 1908 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The association stands for an inclusive, intersectional and progressive liberal feminism, and advocates for the rights of all women and girls and LGBT rights. [1] It publishes the world's oldest women's magazine, Kvinden & Samfundet (Woman and Society), established in 1885. [2] [3] The Danish Women's Society is a member of the International Alliance of Women and is a sister association of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights and the Icelandic Women's Rights Association.

Contents

History

Founded in 1871, the organization was inspired by Mathilde Bajer's membership of the Danish local branch of the Swiss Association internationale des femmes and her husband's interest in women's emancipation. [4] The Women's Society set out to provide organized support for middle-class women. From the start, it was not affiliated to any political party. It strove to enhance the spiritual and economic status of women, making them more independent and providing an improved basis for self-employment. Initially, the emphasis was on women's access to education and on authorizing married women to have access to their own financial resources. [5]

1871–1906

Dansk Kvindesamfund banner, 1887 Dansk Kvindesamfund banner 1887.jpg
Dansk Kvindesamfund banner, 1887

In 1872, DWS opened a training school for women, Dansk Kvindesamfund Handelsskolen, followed in 1874 by a Sunday school for working women, Søndagsskolen for Kvinder, and in 1895 by a women's school of art, Tegneskolen for Kvinder. [6]

1906–1940

From 1906, attention was given to voting rights for women. This led to constitutional changes in 1915, giving women the right to vote in elections to the Rigsdag or national parliament. Further attention was given to equality of employment and to general improvements in conditions for women and children. In 1919, this led to legislation improving salaries for women in public service and in 1921 to equal access for women and men to public positions. [5]

Between the two world wars, action was taken to prevent the firing of pregnant women in the public sector and to call for reforms providing possibilities for pregnant women to give birth, thus preventing abortions. As a result, assistance centres for mothers (mødrehjælpsinstitutioner) were set up throughout the country. [6]

1940–1950

Under the German occupation, DWS helped to establish Danske Kvinders Beredskab, an organisation devoted to civil defence and preparedness, covering medical care and evacuation during bombing raids. Attention was given to women out of work and the social problems of single women. [6]

After the 1943 elections under which only two women were elected to the Folketing, efforts were made to encourage wider representation. Action calling for women priests led to legislative reforms in 1947. [6]

1950–1970

In the 1950s and 1960s, the main concern was social policy, especially in connection with single mothers. There was also support for homegoing housewives and for retraining women who had been out of work for some time. There were also calls for more kindergartens. [6]

Policies

LGBTQA rights

The Danish Women's Society supports LGBTQA rights. The society has stated that it takes homophobia and transphobia very seriously, that "we support all initiatives that promote the rights of gay and transgender people" and that "we see the LGBTQA movement as close allies in the struggle against inequality and we fight together for a society where gender and sexuality do not limit an individual." [1]

Presidents

The presidents of the Danish Women's Society over the years have been: [5] [6] [7] [8]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyrithe Lemche</span> Danish writer and womens rights activist

Ellen Gyrithe Lemche née Frisch (1866–1945) was a Danish writer, women's rights campaigner and local historian. She is remembered in particular for the important part she played in the activities of the Danish Women's Society, especially around 1915 when the Danish Constitution was amended to include women's suffrage. She was a co-founder of Lyngby-Tårbæk Local Historic Society in 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jutta Bojsen-Møller</span> Danish high school proponent and womens rights activist

Jutta Bojsen-Møller born Bojsen (1837–1927) was a Danish high school proponent, a women's rights activist and a member of the Danish Women's Society which she headed from 1894 to 1910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thora Daugaard</span> Danish womens rights activist and pacifist

Theodora (Thora) Frederikke Marie Daugaard was a Danish women's rights activist, pacifist, editor and translator. In 1915, she attended the International Women's Conference in The Hague, together with Clara Tybjerg. Thereafter she established and later headed the Danske Kvinders Fredskæde or Danish Women's Peace Chain which became the Danish branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She is also remembered for organizing assistance for Jews and their children in Nazi-occupied Denmark during the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clara Tybjerg</span> Danish womens rights activist and pacifist

Clara Sophie Tybjerg née Sarauw (1864–1941) was a Danish women's rights activist, pacifist and educator. In 1915, she attended the International Women's Conference in The Hague, together with Thora Daugaard. Thereafter she helped establish and, from 1916 to 1920, headed the Danske Kvinders Fredskæde or Danish Women's Peace Chain which became the Danish branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. She is also remembered for helping to bring hunger-stricken children from Vienna to Denmark after the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estrid Hein</span> Danish ophthalmologist, womens rights activist and pacifist

Estrid Hein was a Danish ophthalmologist, women's rights activist and pacifist. She practised in Copenhagen from 1898, opening her own clinic in 1906. She was also a prominent figure in the women's movement, chairing the Copenhagen chapter of the Danish Women's Society from 1909, later serving on the society's central board. In 1915, she became an active member of Danske Kvinders Fredskæde (DKF), the Danish arm of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. The same year she joined the Scandinavian Family Law Commission where she was effective in furthering progress on women rights as spouses. From 1933 she participated on the executive board of Denmark's Women's Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Eilersgaard</span> Danish writer and womens rights activist

Charlotte Juliane Sofie Eilersgaard née Jensen was a Danish writer and editor who wrote short stories, plays and novels. From the beginning of the 20th century, she became increasingly involved in the women's movement, especially the cause for women's voting rights.

The Kvindelig Fremskridtsforening (KF), or Women's Progress Association, was a Danish women's association which was founded in 1885 by Matilde Bajer and Elisabeth Ouchterlony. They had both been co-founders of the Danish Women's Society in 1871 but now wanted an organization which included specific attention to women's suffrage in municipal and national elections, an issue which was not on the agenda of the apolitical Women's Society. The organization also addressed women's involvement as peace activists and as members of the workforce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vibeke Salicath</span> Danish womens rights activist and suffragist

Vibeke Ingeborg Salicath née Frisch (1861–1921) was a Danish philanthropist, feminist and politician. From the 1890s, together with her sister Gyrithe Lemche, she was an active member of the Danish Women's Society where from 1901 she edited Kvinden & Samfundet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Bruun</span> Danish schoolteacher and womens rights activist

Anne Kirstine Bruun (1853–1934) was a Danish schoolteacher and women's rights activist. An early proponent of equal pay for male and female teachers, in 1900 she became the first woman to serve on the central committee of the Danish Union of Teachers. She was an enthusiastic member of the Danish Women's Society and a frequent contributor to their magazine Kvinden og Samfundet which she edited for a time in the mid-1890s. Bruun was an early supporter of the Women's Society's direct involvement in the fight for women's voting rights.

Meta Kristine Hansen (1865–1941) was a Danish women's rights activist and politician. In 1893, she became the first woman to graduate in political science from the University of Copenhagen. She co-founded Denmark's Political Women's Association in 1904, later chairing it when it became the Copenhagen Women's Suffrage Association. From 1907, she served as secretary of the National Association for Women's Suffrage, writing articles in the organization's magazine Kvindevalgret. Hansen was also a board member of the Danish Women's Society from 1906 to 1924. Representing the Danish Social Liberal Party, she was a candidate for Frederiksberg's Municipal Council in 1917 but was not elected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johanne Andersen (women's rights activist)</span>

Johanne Kirstine Andersen née Christiansen (1862–1925) was a Danish women's rights activist. In 1908, she co-founded and subsequently headed the Balslev-Ejby branch of the Danish Women's Society in the north-west of the island of Funen. Two years later, she became a member of the national organization's joint management board, serving as deputy chair from 1919 until her retirement in 1922. She was particularly active in promoting the interests of women from rural communities and encouraging women's involvement in household planning and in running school canteens. Politically, after Danish women obtained voting rights in 1915, she joined the Venstre party but did not succeed in being elected to the Folketing in the 1918 elections.

Voldborg Antoinette Brøns Ølsgaard née Appelt (1877–1939) was a Danish peace activist who was also active in the Aarhus branch of the Danish Women's Society. A member of the peace movement Danske Kvinders Fredskæde, she headed its third Jutland district (1922–25) and edited the organization's paper Fred og Frihed until 1937. Ølsgaard was behind the construction of Dansk Kvindesamfunds Hus completed in 1930. She was responsible for its management until her retirement as a result of illness in 1935.

References

  1. 1 2 "Køn, sex og seksualitet". Dansk Kvindesamfund. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  2. The women's movement in Denmark , Kvinfo.dk
  3. How Danish women got the vote, kvinfo.dk
  4. "Vores historie" (in Danish). Dansk Kvindesamfund. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Rimmen Nielsen, Hanne; Lous, Eva. "Dansk Kvindesamfund" (in Danish). Gyldendal: Den Store Danske. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dansk Kvindesamfund 1871-" (in Danish). Aarhus Universitet. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  7. Lundbye, Nina Christine; Kaasgaard Poulsen, Kirstine; Skovgaard, Mette Liv (2005). "Dansk Kvindesamfund" (PDF) (in Danish). Roskilde Universitetscenter. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  8. Lous, Eva (March 1996). "Dansk Kvindesamfunds Arkiv" (PDF) (in Danish). Statsbiblioteket. ISBN   87-7507-211-4 . Retrieved 11 October 2018.

Literature