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Speaking Up in Public to Win Women's Votes : The 1921 Election Campaign of the Swedish National Federation of Social Democratic Women

Arvidsson, Malin LU (2025) In Moving the Social: Journal of Social History and the History of Social Movements 75(1). p.85-110
Abstract
This article examines how Swedish social democratic women used the enactment of universal suffrage in 1919/1921 as an argument to gain support for separate organising. The article also analyses the extent to which the Swedish National Federation of Social Democratic Women, founded in 1920, used direct (personal) and indirect (media) channels for voter communication. Both scarce economic resources and lack of time for political work were challenges for the social democratic women’s movement. The study also shows that indirect channels were used in the run-up to the local elections in March 1919 due to a lack of funds and available speakers. In 1920, in contrast, speaking tours were arranged in cooperation with local and regional... (More)
This article examines how Swedish social democratic women used the enactment of universal suffrage in 1919/1921 as an argument to gain support for separate organising. The article also analyses the extent to which the Swedish National Federation of Social Democratic Women, founded in 1920, used direct (personal) and indirect (media) channels for voter communication. Both scarce economic resources and lack of time for political work were challenges for the social democratic women’s movement. The study also shows that indirect channels were used in the run-up to the local elections in March 1919 due to a lack of funds and available speakers. In 1920, in contrast, speaking tours were arranged in cooperation with local and regional organisations within the Social Democratic Party. Contributions from the party and the Trade Union Confederation made it possible to organise more tours in the spring of 1921. Female speakers became sought-after since they were seen as particularly apt at addressing female voters. The article contributes new knowledge about the active participation of female speakers and organisers in Swedish election campaigns. It highlights how fears of losing the election because of a low turnout among women created room for manoeuvre and at the same time produced recurrent remarks that women’s right to vote also meant a duty to vote. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
in
Moving the Social: Journal of Social History and the History of Social Movements
volume
75
issue
1
pages
85 - 110
ISSN
2197-0386
DOI
10.7788/mots.2025.75.85
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
ISBN: 978-3-412-53390-8
id
5b8a0146-e4e6-4e71-b0c5-ce0c274eb74d
date added to LUP
2025-10-13 10:01:33
date last changed
2025-10-27 14:59:09
@article{5b8a0146-e4e6-4e71-b0c5-ce0c274eb74d,
  abstract     = {{This article examines how Swedish social democratic women used the enactment of universal suffrage in 1919/1921 as an argument to gain support for separate organising. The article also analyses the extent to which the Swedish National Federation of Social Democratic Women, founded in 1920, used direct (personal) and indirect (media) channels for voter communication. Both scarce economic resources and lack of time for political work were challenges for the social democratic women’s movement. The study also shows that indirect channels were used in the run-up to the local elections in March 1919 due to a lack of funds and available speakers. In 1920, in contrast, speaking tours were arranged in cooperation with local and regional organisations within the Social Democratic Party. Contributions from the party and the Trade Union Confederation made it possible to organise more tours in the spring of 1921. Female speakers became sought-after since they were seen as particularly apt at addressing female voters. The article contributes new knowledge about the active participation of female speakers and organisers in Swedish election campaigns. It highlights how fears of losing the election because of a low turnout among women created room for manoeuvre and at the same time produced recurrent remarks that women’s right to vote also meant a duty to vote.}},
  author       = {{Arvidsson, Malin}},
  issn         = {{2197-0386}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{85--110}},
  series       = {{Moving the Social: Journal of Social History and the History of Social Movements}},
  title        = {{Speaking Up in Public to Win Women's Votes : The 1921 Election Campaign of the Swedish National Federation of Social Democratic Women}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.7788/mots.2025.75.85}},
  doi          = {{10.7788/mots.2025.75.85}},
  volume       = {{75}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}