Ruth Linnéa Forsling (; 11 February 1923 – 3 May 1985) was a Swedish teacher,

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

activist, and politician who served in the

Parliament of Sweden The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

in 1964. A member of the Liberal People's Party, she represented the

Stockholm Municipality Stockholm Municipality or the City of Stockholm ( sv, Stockholms kommun or ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. It has the largest population of the 290 municipalities of the country, but one of the smallest areas, maki ...

constituency. Forsling was also a member of the from 1950 until 1954 and from 1960 until 1970.

Biography

Ruth Linnéa Larsson was born on 11 February 1923 in the town of

Rättvik Rättvik is a locality on the eastern shore of the lake Siljan and the seat of Rättvik Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 4,686 inhabitants in 2010. Its bandy club IFK Rättvik has reached the highest division Elitserien and has bu ...

, Sweden, to painter Hans Larsson and Anna Ivarez. She graduated secondary school in 1943, and became a primary school teacher in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

three years later; she would eventually teach at

Adolf Fredrik's Music School Adolf Fredrik's Music School ( sv, Adolf Fredriks Musikklasser) is a general municipal junior high school ( sv, grundskola) in Stockholm, Sweden with a focus on choral music, and highly competitive admission based on audition in singing and mu ...

. In 1948, she married professor Erik Wilhelm Forsling; the couple would have four children. Throughout the 1950s, Forsling rose in prominence as a prominent

activist, becoming a member of the Association of Liberal Citizens and the Liberal People's Party, as well as leading several women's groups. She was also active in a

Christian revival Christian revivalism is increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a church congregation or society, with a local, national or global effect. This should be distinguished from the use of the term "revival" to refer to an evangelis ...

movement, promoting

liberal Christianity Liberal Christianity, also known as Liberal Theology and historically as Christian Modernism (see Catholic modernism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 bill ...

as a member of the

Swedish Evangelical Mission The Swedish Evangelical Mission (SEM) (Swedish: "Evangelical Homeland Foundation", EFS) is an independent, low-church, New Evangelical () movement within the Church of Sweden. It emphasizes the importance of lay involvement in the church and ...

. Forsling served on the from 1950 until 1954 and from 1960 until 1970. During her tenure, she sat on several prominent committees, including the committees on childcare, youth, and education. Forsling also served as the federal representative for the Municipal Association for Stockholm City and County Regional Affairs, and was a member of the board of , a

public housing Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...

company. For six months in 1964, Forsling served as a substitute member of the

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

, representing

. While in parliament, Forsling was an advocate for

racial color blindness Color blindness is a term that has been used by justices of the United States Supreme Court in several opinions relating to racial equality and social equity, particularly in public education. Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle Sch ...

, stating that in an ideal future, "we would completely seek to eliminate these signs of different origins and group affiliations". In the

1964 Swedish general election General elections were held in Sweden on 20 September 1964.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1858 The Swedish Social Democratic Party remained the largest party, winning 113 of the 233 seats in the ...

, Forsling ran for a permanent seat in parliament, but was narrowly defeated; however, her candidacy is credited with having prevented a

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

candidate from winning, as the two split the Christian vote. In 1970, she was elected to the

Stockholm County Council The Stockholm Regional Council ( sv, Region Stockholm), is a regional council, a regional municipal body corresponding to the territory of Stockholm County in Sweden. Its main responsibilities are the public healthcare system and public transp ...

, serving until her death in Stockholm on 3 May 1985. In 1971, Forsling was awarded the by the Stockholm City Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forsling, Ruth 1923 births 1985 deaths 20th-century Swedish educators 20th-century Swedish politicians 20th-century Swedish women politicians Members of the Riksdag from the Liberals (Sweden) Women members of the Riksdag Members of the Andra kammaren Politicians from Stockholm Swedish city councillors People from Rättvik Municipality Swedish political activists Swedish women activists Swedish women music educators 20th-century Swedish women educators