Szeréna Stern (15 June 1894 – 2 March 1966) was a Hungarian

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

and politician.

Life

Szeréna Stern was born in

Nagyatád Nagyatád is a town in Somogy County, Hungary and the seat of Nagyatád District. ''Bodvica'', ''Henész'' and ''Kivadár'' are parts of Nagyatád. Etymology Its name derives from the Turkish word ''ata'' (, ). Geography It lies on the southern ...

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

on 15 June 1894 to a poor Jewish family. Her early life is poorly documented, but she trained as an elementary school teacher and joined the teachers' union about 1917. Sometime during the 1920s she married Ferenc Pollák and they had no children. He died sometime after 1942 when he was taken by the government for forced labor. Stern was awarded the Gold Medal of Merit in 1947 and probably received the Gold Order of Labor in 1964. She died on 2 March 1966.

Activities

Stern was one of the principal organizers of the Children's Friends Association of the Workers of Hungary () in 1917 and later served as its secretary. She joined the

Social Democratic Party of Hungary The Social Democratic Party of Hungary (, , MSZDP) is a social democracy, social democratic list of political parties in Hungary, political party in Hungary. Historically, the party was dissolved during Government of National Unity (Hungary), the ...

( (MSZDP)) in 1918 and was elected to the party's National Women's Organizing Committee () in 1920. When making public appearances during this time, she often used the pseudonym 'Somogyi'. Stern was elected to the Budapest Municipal Council in 1925 and focused her energies on women's and children's issues. She was elected to the Education Commission, the Commission for Social Policy and Welfare and the Commission for Child Protection at various times before she was forced to resign in 1940 when the Second Jewish Law was passed. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Stern became the first woman to lead the Department of Societal Policy () and retired in late 1950 when it was clear that municipal self-government was going to be abolished by the Communist government.Papp & Varsányi, pp. 534–36

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Szerena 1894 births 1966 deaths Hungarian feminists Hungarian women's rights activists Social Democratic Party of Hungary politicians Socialist feminists 20th-century Hungarian politicians 20th-century Hungarian women politicians Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary People from Nagyatád