In Sweden, in the Viking era, women had the right to do whatever they wanted to do.
Issues of equality and women’s rights were raised on the table, but remained very rare.
During the 18th century, the debate on gender equality and the social status of women became the subject of public opinion.
The first civil society organisation founded by a woman and for women in Sweden was the “Välgörande fruntimmerssällskapet” charity, founded in Stockholm in 1819 by a group of women’s representatives led by Sofia Albertina of Sweden to provide assistance to poor women. It is the beginning of a movement to promote equality between men and women. Several other women’s charities followed throughout the 19th century.
The Sager case is a first in Sweden. Sophie Sager, a young woman at the time the case take place, receives an invitation from Mr. Moller to sleep at his house. She agreed but was sexually assaulted by Moller, however she resisted. She then go to the police station to file a complaint about what was the “first rape case in Sweden”.
It wasn’t common at the time to put complaint for a woman. For the advancement of feminism, this case has attracted. the attention of the press, which has made it a national case. Moller was found guilty of attempted abduction and assault. Sophie Sager then became a figure of feminism and made a lot of speeches to promote it and advance the cause.
Before 1858, a woman’s rights were owned by her husband and she was not allowed to go to university. In 1858, the status of women was reformed thanks to the book Herta, by feminist author Frederika Bremer, who calls for the abolition of marital law.This reform allows women to: - apply for legal majority through a simple procedure, if she is not in couple or married.
In 1921, Swedish women were granted the right to vote and officially recognised equality with men. Between 1918 and 1939, women’s magazines on various subjects (cultural, political, etc. ) developed. After the war, women’s political presence grew, as did gender diversity in political parties such as the Swedish Left, biggest party at the time.
The Swedish government has encouraged and supported the development of feminism and gender equality in Sweden: Currently, 47 per cent of the members of parliament were women, thanks to a law that required the lists of candidates for parliamentary elections to respect parity. There must be as many male as female candidates.
In 2017, Sweden shows again that it is a pioneer in gender equality by offering asylum to a woman who broke the abortion ban in El Salvador. Sweden wished to send a strong message to the country where abortion was still banned, showing that women had the right to decide whether or not to have a child.
The Swedish government consists of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and 22 ministers (23 with the Prime Minister):
10 men
12 women
