Official publications

 

1810 Excerpts from the Knighthood’s and Nobility’s minutes at the Riksdag of 1809, regarding women’s abilities to provide for themselves

1846 - SFS 1846:39, §5 Widowed, divorced, or unmarried women acquire the right to work with certain trades and craft.
SFS 1846:39, §12 Regarding “Work with own hands, as means of provision”
SFS 1846:40, §4 “Women worthy of respect [‘Wälfrejdade kvinnor’]…shall not be prevented to trade in trinkets, retail of clothes, mongering, tobacco, or to sell odd and fancy articles”.

1853 - Women are entitled to teach at small elementary schools.

1859 SFS 1859:58, s. 1-2 Women can be appointed to certain lower-grade positions as teachers and civil servants.
SFS 1859:10, s. 1 “Regarding extended right to trade for women”.

1864 - SFS 1864:41 Unmarried women have the same formal rights as men in private industry and commerce (after the introduction of new commercial, industrial, and handicraft statutes and regulations).

1874 - SFS 1874:109 Married women are entitled to administer and manage their own property and estate, and to decide over their own wages, to be regulated by prenuptial agreements.

1900 - SFS 1900:75 Legislation prohibiting underground work for women, in quarries or mines. It is further stated by this legislation, that a woman who has recently given birth may not work in industry for four weeks after delivery. In 1912 this period is extended to six weeks – always without payment.

1901 - Right to leave of absence without payment at childbirth.

1903 - SFS 1903:114 King’s announcement regarding women physicians’ qualification for certain physician appointments.

1909 - SFS 1909:131 Prohibition against night work for women is introduced.

1910 - SFS 1910:4 Accession Act to the convention in Bern of 26 September , 1906, concerning the prohibition against night work for women with industrial employment.

1910 - Women are entitled to hold municipal appointments.

1912 - SFS 1912:206 Legislation on occupational safety and health. Women are entitled to become labour inspectors, primarily for the supervision of female workers. Kerstin Hesselgren becomes the first female labour inspector in Sweden.

1913 - SFS 1913:120 National pension insurance is introduced, for women and men.

1918 - SFS 1918:659 Women may work as senior masters/headmasters in national grammar schools.

1923 - SFS 1923:249 According to the law regulating formal competence, women are equal with men concerning the right to be appointed civil servants, with the exception of appointments associated with risk of violence (e.g. military service), or working as priests or judges.

1931 - SFS 1931:281 King’s announcement regarding motherhood insurance.

1935 - SFS 1935:434 Women are granted the same old-age pension as men.

1936 - Women civil servants are entitled to leave of absence, with sick pay, at pregnancy and childbirth. In 1939, female municipal employees in Malmö are entitled to leave of absence for 12 weeks, with sick pay.

1937 - Equal pay for female and male elementary school teachers is introduced.