Caroline Sophie Testman (1839 - 1919), was a Danish feminist. She was the co-founder of the

Dansk Kvindesamfund The Danish Women's Society or DWS ( da, Dansk Kvindesamfund) is Denmark's oldest women's rights 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 th ...

or DK (Danish Women's Association) and its chairman 1872-1883.Bio Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon
/ref> She was the daughter of

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

and captain Peder Otto Testman (1806–90) and Henriette Marie Hohlenberg (1808–74). She had the wish to study, but was not given permission by her father. In the 1860s, however, she became active as a freelance journalist, and contributed with articles to various papers, something she continued to do most of her life. One of the papers she contributed to was ''

Tidskrift för hemmet The ''Home Review'' ( sv, Tidskrift för hemmet) was a Swedish women's magazine, published from 1859 to 1885. It was the first women's magazine in the Nordic countries and its inception is sometimes regarded as the foundation of Sweden's women's ...

'', the paper of the Swedish feminist

Sophie Adlersparre Carin ''Sophie'' Adlersparre, known under the pen-name Esselde (born Leijonhufvud; 6 July 1823 – 27 June 1895) was one of the pioneers of the 19th-century women's rights movement in Sweden. She was the founder and editor of the first women' ...

. Caroline Testman was the co-founder of the first women's organisation in Denmark,

or DK (Danish Women's Association) alongside Tagea Johansen, Elisabet Ouchterlony and

Matilde Bajer Pauline Matilde Theodora Bajer (4 January 1840 – 4 March 1934) was a Danish women's rights activist and pacifist. Life Pauline Matilde Theodora Schlüter was born on 4 January 1840 in Frederikseg, Herlufmagle Sogn, Næstved Municipality, Denma ...

. DK was founded in 1871 as a branch of the French

Association Internationale des Femmes The Association internationale des femmes (AIF; International Association of Women) was a short-lived feminist and pacifist organization based in Geneva that was active between 1868 and 1872. It demanded full equality between men and women. This wa ...

with

as chairman and Caroline Testman as treasurer. Bajer soon left her position, and when her successor

Severine Casse Severine Andrea Casse née Engelbreth (1805–1898) was a Danish women's rights activist and an influential member of the Danish Women's Society. Intent on social and political reforms for women, she successfully fought for a wife's right to dispo ...

did the same in 1872, Testman became its chairman, a post she kept until 1883. During her tenure, she focused on access of education and professional work for women. She founded Handelsskolen for Kvinder (The Business School For Women) in 1872 to open the work market for women within the expanding work force in trade-, office and banking-professions: this school was eventually given government support and remained the primary institution of academic education for women in Denmark within this subjects until 1903, when this education was made available for women by the state. In 1874, she also founded Søndagsskolen for Kvinder (SK) for elementary education of workerclass women, which were staffed with voluntary academics: this was active until 1890, when this education was made available for women by the student union. In 1876, she founded Tegneskolen for Kvinder (The Drawing School For Women) alongside

Charlotte Klein Charlotte Bolette Klein née Unna (1834–1915) was a Danish educator and women's rights activist. A motivated teacher, from the mid-1870s until 1907 she was the principal of the Arts and Crafts School for Women in Copenhagen. Klein was a member ...

. Caroline Testman was a supporter of

women suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

, but during her tenure as chairman, the question had not yet been an issue. In 1884, she proposed to have the question accepted as one of the goals of the association, but without success. In 1887 she supported the reform suggestion of conditional women suffrage made by the politician

Fredrik Bajer Fredrik Bajer (21 April 1837 – 22 January 1922) was a Danish writer, teacher, and pacifist politician who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1908 together with Klas Pontus Arnoldson. Life He was son of a clergyman born in Næstved in 1837. Baje ...

. She continued to be an active member within the DK until her death. In her will, she set up a fund for female students.

References

Bio Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Testman, Caroline 1839 births 1919 deaths Danish women's rights activists Danish feminists 19th-century Danish people 19th-century Danish women