Jóngerð Jensina Purkhús (born 1937) is a Faroese politician and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

who has been an active member of the

Republic Party The Liberal Party ( pt, Partido Liberal, PL) is a conservative and national liberal political party in Brazil. From its foundation in 2006 until 2019, it was called the Party of the Republic ( pt, Partido da República, PR). The party was found ...

. She became the first female minister in the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

when she was appointed Minister of Finance, Economy and the Environment in 1985. In 1989, she was appointed Minister of the Economy, Social Affairs and the Judiciary, serving until 1991.

Biography

Born in Klaksvik on 22 January 1937, Jóngerð Jensina Purkhús is the daughter of Jacob Pauli Purkhús (1908–90), a fisherman, and his wife Else Johanne Hansen (born 1912). Her family were not academically inclined but they were politically attached to the social and political ambitions of the Republic Party which sought independence from Denmark. Klasvik was also the centre of strikes leading to clashes with the Danish authorities. This no doubt led to Purkhús' interest in nationalism and her decision to study

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. She completed her school education in 1953, without matriculating. After working for a few years in Klasvik, she moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in 1960 where she worked at a grocer's during the day and attended the ''Akademisk Studenterkursus'' (Academic Student Course) in the evenings. She then succeeded in passing the matriculation examination which allowed her to start reading political science at 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 ...

while working at the Social Research Institute and as a medical assistant for the elderly. In 1972, she became the first Faroese to graduate as a

Cand.polit. Candidate (Latin ''candidatus'' or ''candidata'') is the name of various academic degrees, chiefly in Scandinavia, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Scandinavia, it is a higher professional-level degree usually corresponding to 5– ...

After working for an accounting firm, she returned to the Faroes in 1975 taking up a governmental post where she oversaw the transfer of the Danish postal service to a Faroese entity. Thereafter she worked in the postal service's administration managing accounting and transfer arrangements. From 1978, she returned to a government posting where she dealt with financial legislation. On the electoral front, she first stood as a candidate for Klaksvik in 1978. In the 1984 elections, she was one of three women who were elected to the

Løgting The Løgting (pronounced ; da, Lagtinget) is the unicameral parliament of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory within the Danish Realm. The name literally means "''Law Thing''"—that is, a law assembly—and derives from Old Norse ''l ...

, all of whom were elected as top candidates for their parties. For the Republic party, Purkhús received 620 votes and Karin Kjølbro 504, while for the Social Democrats, Marita Petersen received 385. In 1985, in the coalition with the Social Democrats, the New Self-Government and the People's Party, Purkhús was appointed Minister of Finance and the Environment, becoming the first Faroese female minister. From 1988 to 1989, she was elected to the Løgting, representing the Republic party. In the new coalition in 1989 of the Republicans, the People's Party and the Union Party, she was Minister of the Economy, Social Affairs and the Judiciary until 1991. She remained in the Løgting for a number of years as a member of the Republic party before she withdrew from politics. Since 1976, Purkhús has lived in

Velbastaður Velbastaður ( da, Velbestad) is a village on the island of Streymoy in the Faroe Islands. It is a part of Tórshavn Municipality and is considered among the oldest settlements in the islands. There are two schools and one kindergarten in the vi ...

where her interests are livestock, folk dancing and patchwork.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purkhus, Jongerd 1937 births Living people Faroese politicians Faroese women in politics Government ministers of the Faroe Islands