Marie Nicolina Theodora Rovsing née Schack (1814–1888) was a pioneering Danish

women's rights activist 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, ...

. From 1871 to 1888 she was a board member of the

Danish Women's Society The Danish Women's Society or DWS ( da, Dansk Kvindesamfund) is Denmark's oldest women's rights organization. It was founded in 1871 by activist Matilde Bajer and her husband Fredrik Bajer; Fredrik was a Member of Parliament and the 1908 Nobel Peac ...

, serving as president from 1883 to 1887. Interested in allowing women to practise crafts and manual work traditionally reserved for men, on her death she left a legacy which among other things allowed two women to be the first in Denmark to qualify as carpenters.

Biography

Born on 11 November 1814 in Sengeløse to the west of

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 ...

, Marie Nicolina Theodora Schack was the daughter of Nicolai Clausen Schack (1781–1844), a provost, and Tagea Dorothea Erasmi (1785–1841). She was educated together with her sister Hansine at Miss Zeuthen's girls' boarding school. In 1845, she married the school director Kristen Rovsing (1812–1889) although she continued to promote her maiden name including ( Schack) when she referred to herself. Despite the disapproval of her husband, she became a board member of the Danish Women's Society (1871–1888), serving as president from 1883 to 1887. She was a firm advocate of a women's business and vocational school and also fought for allowing women to be trained in occupations that had traditionally been reserved for men. In 1887, this led to her establishing a crafts committee which called for the establishment of a bookbinding school for women. She also provided support for the ''

Kvindelig Læseforening Kvindelig Læserforening (English: Women Readers' Association) was a membership-based, private library for women which existed from 1872 until 1945 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Its former building on Gammel Mønt (No. 1) is designed by Ulrik Plesner. I ...

'' (Women Readers' Association) and, by extension, to pioneering women academics, including the medical doctors

Nielsine Nielsen Nielsine Nielsen (10 June 1850 – 8 October 1916) was the first female academic and physician in Denmark. She graduated in 1885 and in 1889 she established her own medical practice and worked as a general practitioner. She was active in the gend ...

and Marie Gleerup, and the historian Anna Hude, the first Danish woman to earn a

Dr phil Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), better known as Dr. Phil, is an American Celebrity, television personality and author best known for Television presenter, hosting the talk show ''Dr. Phil (talk show), Dr. Phil''. He holds a do ...

. Although the bookbinding school was never founded, on her death in 1888, Rovsing left a legacy for supporting women who wished to work as craftsmen. Known as (Mrs Marie Rovsing née Schack's Legacy for Women's Training as Craftsmen), it was administered by the Women's Society. In particular, it provided support for the training of Cathrine Horsbøll and as carpenters. Rovsing died in Copenhagen on 25 September 1888 and was buried in

Garnisons Cemetery Garrison Cemetery (Danish: Garnisons Kirkegård) is a cemetery in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was inaugurated in 1671 on a site just outside the Eastern City Gate, as a military cemetery complementing the naval Holmens Cemetery which had been inaugur ...

. She was survived by her sisters Hansine Andræ and

Tagea Brandt Tagea Brandt née Rovsing (1847–1882), was a Danish woman. The Tagea Brandt Rejselegat is named in her honor. Biography Brandt was born Tagea Rovsing in Copenhagen on 17 March, 1847. She was born to the educator, principal and politician Kris ...

, both of whom were also women's rights activists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rovsing, Marie 1814 births 1888 deaths People from Høje-Taastrup Municipality People from Copenhagen Danish women's rights activists