Lilly Engström (1843–1921) was a Swedish women's rights activist and

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

. In 1890, she became the first female member of a

Board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

in Sweden, after a reform the year prior, in which women were allowed to serve on governmental boards.

Life

Engström graduated from the

Högre lärarinneseminariet The Royal Seminary, fully the Royal Advanced Female Teachers' Seminary ( sv, Kungliga Högre Lärarinneseminariet, abbreviated KHLS), was a normal school (teachers' college) in Stockholm, Sweden. It was active from 1861 until 1943. It was the fi ...

in 1864 and was a teacher at the Statens normalskola för flickor in 1864–1907. She was a member of the board of the

Fredrika-Bremer-Förbundet The Fredrika Bremer Association ( sv, Fredrika Bremer Förbundet, abbreviated FBF) is the oldest women's rights organisation in Sweden. The association stands for an inclusive, intersectional and progressive liberal feminism, and advocates for wome ...

in 1884–1920, of the Svenska lärarinnors pensionsförening (Retirement fund for female teachers) in 1873–1920, engaged in the

women's 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 ...

movement and regarded as a pioneer of the ''Pedagogiska sällskapet'' (Pedagogic Society). Engström was a member of the women's association

Nya Idun Nya Idun is a Swedish cultural association for women founded in 1885, originally as a female counterpart to Sällskapet Idun ('the Idun Society'). Its aim was to "gather educated women in the Stockholm area for informal gatherings". There was a ...

, founded in 1885, and was one of its first committee members. In 1889, a law reform allowed for women to become civil servants, and the following year, Engström became the first female civil servant in Sweden when she became a member of the state school education board of the

Hedvig Eleonora Parish Hedvig Eleonora Parish ( sv, Hedvig Eleonora församling) is a parish in Östermalm's church district (''kontrakt'') in the Diocese of Stockholm, Sweden. The parish is located in Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm County. The parish forms its own ...

in Stockholm.

References

* Engström, Karolina Augusta (Lilly) i Nordisk familjebok (andra upplagans supplement, 1923) * Engström, släkter, urn:sbl:16166, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av BENGT HILDEBRAND.), hämtad 2015-05-04. {{DEFAULTSORT:Engstrom, Lilly 1843 births 1921 deaths Swedish women's rights activists 19th-century Swedish people 19th-century civil servants Swedish civil servants Swedish women civil servants 19th-century Swedish women politicians 19th-century Swedish politicians Members of Nya Idun