Women’s Right to Vote in Sweden
Women’s Day Sweden / January 26, (1921)
Reproduktion: KvinnSam, Göteborgs universitetsbibliotek.
Women’s Right to Vote in Sweden: Pioneers of Gender Equality in Europe
On January 26, 1921, Swedish women voted in parliamentary elections for the first time, marking the culmination of a decades-long struggle for political equality. However, the legal foundation for this milestone was established on May 24, 1919, when the Swedish parliament formally passed the legislation granting women both the right to vote and to run for office in parliamentary elections on equal terms with men.
The Path to Suffrage in Sweden
The Swedish women’s suffrage movement began gaining momentum in the late 19th century, emerging alongside broader social and democratic reforms. In 1884, Swedish women secured limited voting rights in local elections, though with significant restrictions based on income and marital status.
The organized campaign for full parliamentary suffrage took shape in 1902 with the formation of the National Association for Women’s Suffrage (Landsföreningen för kvinnans politiska rösträtt, LKPR), which would become the primary vehicle for suffrage activism over the next two decades.
Key Figures in the Swedish Suffrage Movement
Fredrika Bremer (1801-1865)
Though she died before the formal suffrage movement began, Bremer laid crucial groundwork as Sweden’s first feminist writer. Her 1856 novel “Hertha” sparked the first parliamentary debate on women’s rights in Sweden and led to reforms in women’s legal status that created a foundation for later political demands.
Ellen Key (1849-1926)
A prominent intellectual and writer, Key advocated for women’s rights while emphasizing women’s unique contributions to society. Though sometimes controversial for views that emphasized gender differences, her writings helped bring women’s issues into public discourse.
Ann Margret Holmgren (1850-1940)
As a founding member of the LKPR and its traveling ambassador, Holmgren established local suffrage associations across Sweden, effectively building a nationwide movement. Her ability to connect with women from different social backgrounds proved invaluable.
Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940)
The first female Nobel laureate in Literature (1909) used her international prominence to advocate for women’s suffrage. Her participation lent significant credibility and visibility to the movement.
Signe Bergman (1869-1960)
As the chairwoman of the LKPR during its most critical years (1914-1917), Bergman was a masterful strategist who coordinated the final push for suffrage. Her organizational skills and political acumen were central to the movement’s ultimate success.
Kata Dalström (1858-1923)
A socialist activist who argued forcefully that women’s liberation and workers’ rights were inseparable causes, Dalström helped ensure that women’s suffrage remained a priority across political divides.
The Final Push and Victory
After years of organized activism and multiple defeated proposals, several factors converged to make women’s suffrage achievable by 1919:
- The democratizing influence of World War I, which prompted reforms across Europe
- Increasing pressure from an organized and strategic suffrage movement
- Growing support across political parties, especially from Social Democrats and Liberals
- Concerns about social stability following the Russian Revolution
On May 24, 1919, the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) passed legislation granting women equal voting rights. King Gustaf V signed the changes into law on December 20, 1919, officially amending the constitution to establish universal and equal suffrage.
The first parliamentary election with female participation occurred on September 26, 1921. In this historic election, five women were elected to the Riksdag: Kerstin Hesselgren, Elisabeth Tamm, Agda Östlund, Nelly Thüring, and Bertha Wellin, representing different parties and perspectives.
Sweden in Regional Context
Sweden’s formal adoption of women’s suffrage in 1919 (first exercised in 1921) placed it among the earlier European countries to grant women voting rights, though not at the forefront:
Earlier than Sweden:
- Finland: 1906 (first in Europe)
- Norway: 1913
- Denmark: 1915
- Russia: March 1917
- Germany: 1918
- Austria: 1918
- Netherlands: 1919
- Luxembourg: 1919
Around the same time as Sweden:
- United Kingdom: 1918 (limited), 1928 (equal terms)
- Czechoslovakia: 1920
- Ireland: 1922
Later than Sweden:
- France: 1944
- Italy: 1945
- Belgium: 1948
- Greece: 1952
- Switzerland: 1971
Looking at Sweden’s Nordic neighbors specifically:
- Finland led the region (and Europe) by granting women’s suffrage in 1906
- Norway followed in 1913
- Denmark and Iceland in 1915
- Sweden in 1919/21
This places Sweden as the last of the Nordic countries to grant women’s suffrage, though still relatively early in the broader European context.
Factors Influencing Sweden’s Timeline
Several factors shaped Sweden’s particular path to women’s suffrage:
- Nordic Democratic Tradition: The Nordic countries generally had strong democratic traditions that facilitated earlier adoption of women’s suffrage compared to much of Europe.
- Effective Organization: The LKPR’s strategic approach, combining grassroots mobilization with political lobbying, proved highly effective.
- Cross-Class Alliance: Unlike some countries where suffrage remained primarily a middle-class concern, the Swedish movement built alliances across class lines, particularly with labor movements.
- Gradual Reform Approach: Sweden’s political culture favored negotiation and incremental change, which may explain why it lagged behind its Nordic neighbors despite similar social conditions.
Legacy and Impact
Sweden’s early adoption of women’s suffrage laid the groundwork for the country’s subsequent development as a leader in gender equality. The five women elected in 1921 quickly made their mark, with Kerstin Hesselgren playing a key role in labor legislation and Elisabeth Tamm advocating for agricultural reforms.
In the decades following suffrage, Swedish women gained increasing political representation. By the 1990s, women constituted approximately 40% of parliamentary representatives, among the highest percentages in the world. Today, Sweden consistently ranks among global leaders in gender equality metrics.
The collaboration between suffragists and early female parliamentarians also helped establish Sweden’s distinctive approach to gender equality, emphasizing both political rights and social welfare policies that enable women’s full participation in society.
Conclusion
Sweden’s achievement of women’s suffrage on May 24, 1919, represented the culmination of decades of persistent activism by women like Signe Bergman, Selma Lagerlöf, and countless local organizers across the country. While not the first European nation to grant women voting rights—and indeed the last among its Nordic neighbors—Sweden’s implementation of women’s suffrage came relatively early in the broader European context and established a foundation for the country’s subsequent development as a global leader in gender equality.
The legacy of these early suffragists extends far beyond the ballot box, shaping Sweden’s approach to gender equality across all aspects of society and inspiring similar movements worldwide. The struggle for women’s political participation in Sweden demonstrates how organized activism, strategic alliances, and persistence can ultimately transform democratic institutions to become more inclusive and representative.
Why didn’t everyone in Sweden enjoy the right to vote?
From the 1860s a lively debate emerged on the question of voting rights, and demands for universal suffrage became increasingly vociferous. The first private member’s motion on equal political rights for women and men was put before the Riksdag in 1884, but it was rejected. In later years, the issue was raised persistently in various motions, but in vain.
In 1909, a reform was passed in the Riksdag giving Swedish men the right to vote in elections to the Second Chamber. The first Government bill on suffrage and eligibility for election to the Riksdag for women was submitted in 1912 by the Staaff Government. It was, however, outvoted in the predominantly conservative First Chamber. Outside the Riksdag a powerful movement for women’s suffrage was taking shape, often through special suffrage societies. In a historical perspective, suffrage has been one of the women’s movement’s major issues.
Under the pressure of the revolutionary wave that shook Europe at the end of the First World War, the Riksdag approved universal and equal suffrage for women and men on 24 May 1919. The reform was implemented on the basis of proposals prepared by a coalition government of Liberals and Social Democrats. After the election of 1921, five women entered the Riksdag; this is when the Riksdag finally achieved a system of democratic representation for the whole of the Swedish people.
However, it was still possible for certain groups to be excluded from the eligibility to vote after 1921. A requirement that continued to apply was that men had to have completed national military service in order to be able to vote. This requirement was abolished in 1922 following a decision by the Riksdag. Interns in prisons and institutions were not granted suffrage until 1937. Individuals who had gone into bankruptcy or were dependent on economic support in the form of relief for the poor did not acquire voting rights until 1945. The final limitation of the franchise disappeared in 1989 when the Riksdag abolished what is known as ‘declaration of legal incompetency’.
Alongside the universal franchise reform, a parliamentary system of government developed and gained acceptance. This means that the Government requires the Riksdag’s confidence and support in order to govern the country.
› riksdagen.se/en/how-the-riksdag-works/the-history-of-the-riksdag/