Karen Marie Ankersted Hansen (1859–1921) was a Danish teacher and a pioneering female politician. She was among the first four women to be elected to the Municipal Council 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 ...

in 1909 as well as one of the first four to be elected to the

Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...

(the Danish national parliament) in 1918.

Biography

Born on 18 July 1859 in

Ishøj Ishøj is a Danish town with a population of 20,017 (1 January 2015).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 ...

by a foster mother, Hanne Kopp, who was a teacher. After attending Testrup Folk High School, she trained to be a private teacher at

N. Zahle's School N. Zahle's School (Danish: N. Zahles Skole) is a private school located on Nørre Voldgade in Copenhagen, Denmark. Named after its founder, Natalie Zahle (1827–1913), it now consists of two independently run primary schools and a Gymnasium. Hi ...

, receiving her diploma in 1881. From 1883 to 1888, she taught at Borgerdyd School in Christianshavn, gradually gaining admission to the Copenhagen Municipality's schools authority. As a result, she taught at Gasværksvejen School and Haderslevgade School until 1916 when declining health forced her to leave. Although rather conservative in her outlook, Ankersted was a supporter of

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 the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

but did not campaign with the activists. By contrast, she played an active part in Copenhagen Municipality's Teachers Association on its establishment in 1891, becoming its chair for two periods (1905–1906 and 1910–1912). She also became active in the Women's Council. On the political front, she was a conservative, becoming a member of the

Højre Højre (, ''Right'') was the name of two Danish political parties of Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The c ...

party which in 1915 became the Conservative People's Party. On 1 April 1909, she was elected to the Municipal Council of Frederiksberg where she remained until 11 November 1918. Standing for Aarhus, Anhersted was elected to the Folketing in the 1918 elections, the first time women had been able to participate. She was one of four women who were elected, the others — all standing for Copenhagen — were Helga Larsen (Social Democrats), Elna Munch (Social Liberals) and

Mathilde Malling Hauschultz Mathilde Johanne Malling Hauschultz (1885–1929) was a Danish lawyer and a pioneering female politician. She was one of the first four women to be elected to the Folketing (the Danish national parliament) in 1918. Biography Born on 2 December 18 ...

(Conservative People's Party). She was not re-elected in the April 1920 election but only left the

Rigsdag Rigsdagen () was the name of the national legislature of Denmark from 1849 to 1953. ''Rigsdagen'' was Denmark's first parliament, and it was incorporated in the Constitution of 1849. It was a bicameral legislature, consisting of two houses, the ...

until the following August when she entered the Landsting for her last few months. Karen Ankersted died in Copenhagen on 6 November 1921.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ankersted, Karen 1859 births 1921 deaths Members of the Folketing Women members of the Folketing Conservative People's Party (Denmark) politicians 19th-century Danish educators 20th-century Danish women educators 20th-century Danish women politicians Danish women's rights activists Danish feminists People from Ishøj Municipality People from Frederiksberg