Aagot Henny Lading née Petersen (5 July 1909,

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

—15 July 1963, Copenhagen) was a Danish schoolteacher, headmistress and

women's rights activist Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

. After graduating in English and history, she was a prominent member of the

Danish Women's Society The Danish Women's Society or DWS ( da, 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 Peac ...

(Dansk Kvindesamfund, DK) where she edited ''

Kvinden & Samfundet ''Kvinden & Samfundet'' (''Woman & Society'') is a Danish feminist magazine and the official publication of the Danish Women's Society. It has been published since 1885. History The Danish Women's Society was founded in 1871 by Matilde Bajer and ...

''. In 1950, she became principal of Rysensteen Gymnasium where she emphasized

women's history Women's history is the study of the role that women have played in history and the methods required to do so. It includes the study of the history of the growth of woman's rights throughout recorded history, personal achievement over a period of ...

in the school's history lessons. Despite her efforts to maintain its status as a girls school, new regulations required the school to admnit boys in 1958.

Early life, family and education

Born on 5 July 1909 in Aarhus, Aagot Henny Petersen was the daughter of the factory foreman August Frederik Frants Petersen (1896–1950) and his wife Hilda Kristine née Andersen (1874–1957) from Norway. The eldest of the family's three daughters, her name was changed to Lading in 1917. Raised in a working-class family, she attended the local school in the Copenhagen district of

Valby Valby () is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is in the southwestern corner of Copenhagen Municipality, and has a mixture of different types of housing. This includes apartment blocks, terraced housing, areas with single ...

and went on to matriculate from Rysensteen Gymnasium in 1927. Encouraged by the headmistress

Maria Nielsen Maria Nielsen (1882–1931) was a Danish historian and headmistress. In 1919, she became one of the first women in Denmark to head a public high school when she was appointed rector of Rysensteen Gymnasium in Copenhagen. She was particularly att ...

to study history, in 1934 she earned a master's degree in English and history from the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

in 1934.

Career

While at university, Lading became involved in the Women's Society where she sought to improve accommodation facilities for women students. Together with Stella Kornerup in 1933 she founded Dansk Kvindesamfunds Københavnske Ungdomskreds (DKKU), a DK Copenhagen-based youth circle. In 1934, she became editor of DK's ''Kvinden og Samfundet'' where she faced and overcame criticism of her youthful frivolity and left-wing approach. She also worked on a comprehenive update of

Gyrithe Lemche 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 (''Dansk Kvindesa ...

's history of the Danish Women's Society, publishing ''Dansk Kvindesamfunds Arbejde gennem 25 Aar'' jn 1939. Lading became principal of Rysensteen Gymnasium in 1950. As a historian, she emphasized the importance of including women's history in the curriculum. Although she fought for the institution to remain a girls school, new regulations required boys to be admitted in 1958. After she died in 1963, the new principal was Svend Atke (1910–93). Aagot Lading died on 15 July 1963 in the Copenhagen district of

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is formally an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the City of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of ...

and was buried in

Bispebjerg Cemetery Bispebjerg Cemetery (Danish: Bispebjerg Kirkegård), established in 1903 on the moderately graded north slope of Bispebjerg Hill, is the newest of five municipal cemeteries in Copenhagen, Denmark. The main entrance to the cemetery is located next ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lading, Aagot 1909 births 1963 deaths Danish women's rights activists Danish headmistresses 20th-century Danish women educators 20th-century Danish non-fiction writers 20th-century Danish women writers Danish magazine editors Burials at East Bispebjerg Cemetery