En kvinnoröst i manssamhället : Agda Montelius 1850-1920

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this thesis is to shed light on the role of female initiative in the accelerating social developments of the late nineteenth century that were eventually to result in Sweden’s modern, democratic welfare state. The method is a biographical study that highlights one of the leading figures of the day, Agda Montelius. She may be seen as representative not only of those middle and upper class women of the period who stepped outside their traditional home sphere to occupy themselves with social work, but also of the group of bourgeois, often liberal, women who united in the struggle for increased equality with men in education, opportunities for financial self-support, and political rights. Agda Montelius’ unique quality was the breadth of her engagement. Indeed, she was active in three different arenas - philanthropy, socio-politics, and political feminism - and in all three she played a significant role. One of the thesis’ governing hypotheses is that it was through their charitable work that Agda Montelius and some of her colleagues became far more conscious of women’s subordinate position in society. Another hypothesis is that the activists’ interest in both social and women’s issues contributed not only to their own emancipation but also to that of other women, including those in the direst need.