Karin Stoltenberg (née Heiberg; 23 November 1931 – 17 October 2012) was a Norwegian geneticist, politician and public official noted for her efforts to develop a coherent family policy in Norway,

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

activities, and for being the mother of prime minister

Jens Stoltenberg Jens Stoltenberg (born 16 March 1959) is a Norwegian politician who has been serving as the 13th secretary general of NATO since 2014. A member of the Norwegian Labour Party, he previously served as the 34th prime minister of Norway from 2000 to ...

, and wife of foreign minister

Thorvald Stoltenberg Thorvald Stoltenberg (8 July 1931 – 13 July 2018) was a Norwegian politician and diplomat. He served as Minister of Defence from 1979 to 1981 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1987 to 1989 and again from 1990 to 1993 in two Labour governmen ...

Biography

Karin Heiberg was born into a Norwegian middle-class family in Paterson, New Jersey (USA), and became politically interested as a socialist in her early teens. She met her husband-to-be when they were 18, but after a short romance she moved to Canada with her family, where she lived for six years and was briefly married. After her divorce in Canada, she returned to Norway planning to complete a doctorate in genetics. She notified Stoltenberg that she was back, and they decided to get married within 24 hours of reuniting. She broke off her academic career in science but completed studies in political science at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

. Karin and Thorvald Stoltenberg were married in 1957. The Stoltenberg family relocated often as a result of Thorvald's career as a diplomat. Karin started her career as a government official working for the

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) is a directorate under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In matters regarding Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), Norad reports to the Norwegian Ministry ...

. In 1972 she accepted a position as senior official in what was then the Consumer and Administration department. There she, under the direction of

Inger Louise Valle Inger Louise Valle (28 November 1921 – 21 May 2006) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party, particularly noted for her efforts to reform the Norwegian penal system. She is the mother of professor Jan Grund. Biography She represented ...

developed several policy initiatives to include

women in the workforce Since the industrial revolution, participation of women in the workforce outside the home has increased in industrialized nations, with particularly large growth seen in the 20th century. Largely seen as a boon for industrial society, women in ...

. She also worked as a state secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Shipping, and the Ministry of Trade of Industry. She characterized herself as being a bureaucrat rather than a politician and rarely participated in her husband's political activities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoltenberg, Karin 1931 births 2012 deaths Civil servants from Oslo Norwegian feminists Norwegian abortion-rights activists Norwegian state secretaries Labour Party (Norway) politicians Norwegian emigrants to Canada Socialist feminists Spouses of Norwegian politicians Karin