Ulla Gunilla Lindström,

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

''Wohlin'' (15 September 1909 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 ...

– 10 July 1999), was a Swedish journalist and politician (

Social Democrat Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote soc ...

). She was Minister of Family, Consumer, Aid and Refugee Affairs from 1954 to 1966. She was also the first woman in Sweden to be acting Prime Minister (1958).

Biography

Ulla Lindström was born in Stockholm to right-wing

Nils Wohlin Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas. People and animals with the given name * Nils Bergström (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey player *Nils Björk (1898–1989) ...

, the Minister of Trade in 1923–1924 and Minister of Finance in 1928–1929, and piano teacher Gunilla Wohlin. Her parents divorced when she was ten, and she grew up with her mother. She graduated as a teacher in 1933, and worked as the editor of the newspapers from 1934 to 1946, and '' Vår bostad'' from 1937 to 1946. She became a social democrat as a student, and was the chairperson of the social democratic women's club Allmänna kvinnoklubben in Stockholm from 1935 to 1945 and an elected member of the Stockholm city council from 1942 to 1945. She was a member of parliament from 1946 to 1970 and a consultant in the Trade department from 1947 to 1954. Lindström was a delegate of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

1947–1966, and chairperson of Rädda Barnen 1971–1989. Lindström served as Minister of Family,

Consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

Aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

and

Refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

Affairs from 1954 to 1966. Her appointment was encouraged by the Social Democratic Women, who demanded female representation on all levels, a demand which

Tage Erlander Tage Fritjof Erlander (; 13 June 1901 – 21 June 1985) was a Swedish politician who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1946 to 1969. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and led the government for an uninterrupted tenu ...

wished to fulfill. During her tenure, she was the only woman in the government, and unusual as a female minister not only in Sweden but also internationally. Her appointment was very popular among women, and she continued being popular among women during her tenure. Personally, she believed that she was not the only woman who deserved a place in the government, and she was disappointed that she continued to be the only one of her gender in the government during her tenure, despite the fact that she repeatedly suggested that Inga Thorsson deserved to receive a ministerial post. Lindström was controversial and caused great attention in the media when she refused to

curtsey A curtsy (also spelled curtsey or incorrectly as courtsey) is a traditional gendered gesture of greeting, in which a girl or woman bends her knees while bowing her head. In Western culture it is the feminine equivalent of bowing by males. Miss Ma ...

to Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in 1956: this was reported in international press, and regarded as an insult by royalists, and as a demonstration of equality in the eyes of others. In 1958, she served as acting Prime minister of Sweden during the summer break of the Prime Minister, becoming the first person of her gender to serve in that function. She resigned under protest in 1966 when the government did not fulfil their promise of an increased

aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

. She was awarded the

Illis quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') (English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It"), is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gust ...

Biography

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