Kerstin Hesselgren

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Kerstin Hesselgren, a physician’s daughter from Gävle, qualified first as a nurse, then as a domestic science teacher. She became home inspector, domestic science inspector, and the first woman labour inspector in Sweden. Her mission was to improve the female workers’ conditions of home, food, healthcare, medical care, etc. She managed to make the Tobacco monopoly employ a personnel advisor, and as other companies followed this example, she initiated the establishment of the society SAIA, Socialarbetare inom industri- och affärsvärld [Social workers in industry and business]. She was its first chairwoman, after being also the first chairperson of Svenska skolkökslärarinnornas förening [Society of Swedish domestic science teachers], which she initiated too. It was not for nothing that she has been called “Kerstin the First”.

Hesselgren’s values were liberal; she was, however, not politically active until the First World War. This was when she, thanks to Centralförbundet för social arbete [Central association for social work], got in touch with Emilia Broomé and was convinced that political impact was required if women were to influence social reform work. In 1921-1930 she was the chairwoman of Frisinnade kvinnors riksförbund [Liberal women’s national association], and in 1931-1946 of Svenska kvinnors vänsterförbund [Left-wing association of Swedish women]. At the general election of 1921, the first where women had the right to participate, Hesselgren was the only woman elected as member of the parliament’s upper chamber. Liberal as well as social democratic women made this possible, and she therefore labelled herself as a “liberal independent politician”. It was not until 1934 that she joined Folkpartiet [The Liberal Party].

Kerstin Hesselgren belonged to the group around the journal “Tidevarvet”, and she was one of the five founders of the educational association for women called Kvinnliga medborgarskolan at Fogelstad, where she frequently contributed to the courses.

Kerstin Hesselgren was active and well-known also internationally. Already in 1919 she became for the first time an expert at Internationella arbetsorganisationens [International labour organisation], ILO, congress in Washington. After this, she participated as an expert or a delegate at most of its congresses up to the Second World War. She was also the chairwoman of International Institute for Industrial Relations, IRI.

When Nationernas förbund [League of Nations] was created, she became Sweden’s first female expert present at their sessions, and, later, also a delegate. She found it difficult to reconcile herself to the League’s working methods and doubted that women would be able to make their voices heard in the organisation. Personally, she attracted some attention when she, against regulations, spoke on the cause of Abyssinia (the present Ethiopia) after Italy’s attack on this country in 1935. Her speech was above all a speech for peace and an expression of women’s powerlessness in relation to the war, and she was frequently quoted, above all in France and the United States.

Further readings about Kerstin Hesselgren
Boken om Kerstin Hesselgren : en vänstudie / [av] Ruth Hamrin-Thorell... - Stockholm, 1968.
Carlson, Benny, Den sociala ingenjörskonstens rörelser : om Hoover, Hesselgren och hundra års händelser. - Lund, 2007.
E.J., Kerstin Hesselgren. -Inågr i: Arbetets kvinnor, 1952:2, s. 12-13.
Höjer, Signe, Kerstin den Första. - Ingår i: Eldsjälar i fredens tjänst, 1986, s. 87-101.
Thorell, Malin, En studie över Kerstin Hesselgren sådan hon framstår i sina efterlämnade papper. - Stockholm, 2003.
Wisselgren, Per, Women as public intellectuals : Kerstin Hesselgren and Alva Myrdal. - Uppsala, 2006.
Åkerblom, Annika, Arbetarskydd för kvinnor : kvinnlig yrkesinspektion i Sverige 1913-1948. - Uppsala, 1998. - Diss. - Abstract.

Writings by Kerstin Hesselgren
Handledning rörande anordnandet av marketenterier vid fabriker. - Stockholm, 1917.
Den kvinliga yrkes- och sundhetsinspektionen : erfarenheter från England, del 1. - Ingår i: Dagny, 1904:14, s. 313-318. - Fortsätter i: Dagny, 1904:15, s. 331-338.
Kvinnorna och nattarbetslagen. - Ingår i: Tidevarvet, 1926:19, s. 3.
Kvinnorna och statstjänsterna: en motion av Kerstin Hesselgren. - Iingår i: Tidevarvet, 1925:5, s. 1.
Den mänskliga faktorn i industrien. - Ingår i: Tidevarvet, 1925:28, s. 1, 4.
Mödraskydd. - Ingår i: Tidevarvet, 1926:11, s. 1, 6.