Gina Krog

Jørgine Anna Sverdrup "Gina" Krog (20 June 1847 – 14 April 1916) was a Norwegian suffragist, teacher, liberal politician, writer and editor, and a major figure in liberal feminism in Scandinavia.

She played a central role in the Norwegian liberal women's rights movement from the 1880s until her death, notably as a leading campaigner for women's right to vote. In 1884, Krog co-founded the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights with liberal MP Hagbart Berner. Over the next two decades, Krog co-founded the Women's Voting Association, the National Association for Women's Suffrage, and the Norwegian National Women's Council, spearheading the presentation of women's suffrage proposals to the Storting (the Norwegian parliament). Krog wrote articles and gave speeches, travelling throughout Europe and North America to attend international women's rights conferences. She was editor of the Norwegian feminist periodical Nylænde (New Land) from 1887 until her death in 1916. She was an early member of the Liberal Party and served as a deputy member of its national board. Krog was strongly inspired by the American liberal women's rights movement spearheaded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Krog was regarded as an unapologetic liberal progressive during her time, seeking full and equal voting rights for all women on the same conditions as men. In the 19th century these views brought Krog into conflict with more moderate members of the Norwegian women's movement, many of whom argued for narrower approaches, focusing first on enfranchising privileged women; before 1900 only men of certain means and position had the right to vote as well. In 1910, the Storting granted universal voting rights to women for municipal elections, extending this to general elections in 1913.

Krog was the first woman in Norway to receive a state funeral. Since 2009, the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights has awarded the biennial Gina Krog Prize for feminist advocates.

Early life

Jørgine Anna Sverdrup "Gina" Krog was born on 20 June 1847 in Flakstad Municipality, Lofoten as the daughter of parish priest Jørgen Sverdrup Krog (1805–1847) and Ingeborg Anna Dass Brinchmann (1814–1872). Gina Krog's brother was barrister Fredrik Arentz Krog. After her father's early death, Krog lived with her mother in Karmøy Municipality until she was eight years old, and then moved to Christiania. In Christiania, she attended a school for girls.

As a young adult, she worked as a teacher in private schools for several years, continuing to improve her knowledge of languages and literature through self-study. Through her brother, she became the aunt of writer Helge Krog and the sister-in-law of feminist Cecilie Thoresen Krog. Krog was among the first women to go hiking in the mountains of Jotunheimen, which gave her a reputation as a "mountaineer". She never married.