Gerda Henrietta Margareta Planting-Gyllenbåga (18781950) was a Swedish

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

and social welfare expert who was deeply engaged in the women's movement at the local and national levels as a member of the Swedish Association for Women's Suffrage (LKPR). She devoted considerable attention to public education, organizing courses to promote women's enlightenment. In 1911, in collaboration with LKPR, she coordinated the nation-wide educational courses funded by

Martina Bergman-Österberg Martina Sofia Helena Bergman-Österberg (née Bergman; 7 October 1849 – 29 July 1915)Westrin, p. 194 was a Swedish-born physical education instructor and women's suffrage advocate who spent most of her working life in Britain. After studying gym ...

. After spending several years in her native Skara, in 1916, she moved to Stockholm as director of CSA (Centralförbundet för Socialt Arbete), the Swedish social welfare association.

Biography

Born in the village of Istrum in the western Swedish municipality of

Skara Skara is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 18,580 inhabitants in 2013. Despite its small size, it is one of the oldest cities in Sweden, and has a long educational and ecc ...

, Gerda Henrietta Margareta Planting-Gyllenbåga was the daughter of the army officer Claes Gustaf August Planting-Gyllenbåga (1834–1912) and his wife Louise Vilhelmina née Freundt (1834–1886). The youngest of the family's seven children, she was brought up in a well-to-do upper-class environment where she benefited from a good school education. After graduating in Stockholm, she moved back to

Skaraborg County Skaraborg County ( sv, Skaraborgs län ) was a county of Sweden from 1634 until 1997. It was disestablished at the end of 1997 when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg and Bohus and Älvsborg to form Västra Götaland County. The count ...

, settling in Rogberga near

Huskvarna Huskvarna (; formerly spelled ''Husqvarna'') constitutes the eastern part of Jönköping, a city in the Sweden, Swedish province of Småland, and has a population of about 24,000. The distance to central Jönköping is about 5 km. The name ...

where she worked for the director responsible for the welfare of the local factory workers. From 1916, she was the director of the welfare association CSA. A driving force in the suffragist movement, Planting-Gyllenbåga established a local branch of the LKPR in Rogberga. A board member of the national association, she was elected to LKPR's executive committee. In 1917, she was among those nominated to chair the organization following the resignation of

Signe Bergman ''Signe'' Wilhelmina Ulrika Bergman (10 April 1869 – 1960) was a Swedish feminist. She was the chairperson of the National Association for Women's Suffrage (LKPR) which was then called The Swedish Society for Woman Suffrage in English (see pho ...

. She participated as an LKPR delegate in several of the congresses organized by the

International Women Suffrage Alliance The International Alliance of Women (IAW; french: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international org ...

. At the local level, Planting-Gyllenbåga was successful in developing the Rogberga suffrage society into a highly effective branch which was able to open its own premises in 1913. Key speakers included national suffrage figures such as Augusta Tonning,

Lydia Wahlström ''Lydia'' Katarina Wahlström (28 June 1869 – 2 June 1954) was a Swedish historian, author and feminist. She was one of the founders of the National Association for Women's Suffrage and its chairman in 1909–1911. Life and career Wahlst ...

Frigga Carlberg Frigga Carlberg, née Anna Fredrika Lundgren (10 August 1851 – 3 October 1925), was a Swedish writer, social worker, feminist and advocate for women's suffrage. She was a member of the central committee of the National Association for Women's S ...

Gulli Petrini Gulli Charlotta Petrini ( Stockholm, 30 September 1867 – Stockholm, 8 April 1941) was a Swedish Physicist, writer, suffragette, women's rights activist and politician. She was the chairperson of the local branch of the National Association for ...

and

Kerstin Hesselgren Kerstin Hesselgren (14 January 1872 – 19 August 1962) was a Swedish politician. Hesselgren became the first woman to be elected into the Upper House of the Swedish Parliament after female suffrage was introduced in 1921. She was elected by sugg ...

. Roberga organized LKPR's third general suffrage meeting in June 1915 in Huskvarna. On the education front, from 1911 Planting-Gyllenbåga was active in coordinating the nation-wide courses funded by Martina Bergman-Österberg to help LKPR increase social enlightenment among Swedish women, thus encouraging their efforts to fight for the right to vote. From 1912, she was the first to serve as a lecturer in connection with the courses. In 1915, she moved back to Stockholm to serve as director of the CSA. She remained there until 1918 when she married the art historian Andreas Adolf Fredrik Lindblom (1889–1977). They had no children. On 17 May 1950, Gerda Planting-Gyllenbåga died in Stockholm, aged 71, and was buried in Tyresö Cemetery.

Biography

References

Further reading