Eva Severine Lundegaard Kolstad (born Eva Severine Lundegaard Hartvig; 6 May 1918 – 26 March 1999) was a Norwegian politician and government minister for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. A major figure in the history of

liberal feminism Liberal feminism, also called mainstream feminism, is a main branch of feminism defined by its focus on achieving gender equality through political and legal reform within the framework of liberal democracy and informed by a human rights per ...

and the development of state feminism in the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

, she pioneered

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

policies in Norway and at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. She served as president of the

Norwegian Association for Women's Rights The Norwegian Association for Women's Rights (; NKF) is Norway's oldest and preeminent women's rights, women's and girls' rights organization that works "to promote gender equality and all women's and girls' human rights through political reform, ...

(1956–1968), member and vice chairman of the

United Nations Commission on the Status of Women The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UNCSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the principal organs of the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gen ...

(1969–1975), Minister of Government Administration and Consumer Affairs of Norway in Korvald's Cabinet (1972–1973), leader of the Liberal Party (1974–1976) and as Norwegian Gender Equality Ombudsman (1978–1988), the first gender equality

ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

worldwide.

Early life

Eva Kolstad was born in 1918 in Halden, Norway. She worked as a bookkeeping teacher before becoming active in the cause of women's rights.

Career

Kolstad was the leader of the Liberal Party from 1974 to 1976, making her the first female party leader in Norway. She was also the first ombudsman for gender equality (''likestillingsombud'') in Norway, and in extent the world. Outside politics she worked as an accountant. She was a minor ballot candidate in the 1953 election, and was not elected. She served as a deputy representative to the

Parliament of Norway The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...

from

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

during the terms 1957–1961 and 1965–1969. In between she was runner-up behind Helge Seip on the Liberal ballot in the 1961 election, but the Liberals had no MPs elected. She was the Minister of Administration and Consumer Affairs in 1972–1973 during the cabinet Korvald. On the local level she was member of the executive committee of

city council from 1960 to 1975. Kolstad was a Commander of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

and received the Medal of St. Hallvard in 1986.

Personal life

She was married to the lawyer and Assistant Director General in the Ministry of Justice, Ragnar Kolstad. Her father-in-law was Prime Minister Peder Kolstad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolstad, Eva 1918 births 1999 deaths Norwegian women's rights activists Government ministers of Norway Ombudsmen in Norway Deputy members of the Storting Women members of the Storting Directors of government agencies of Norway Norwegian feminists Women government ministers of Norway Liberal Party (Norway) politicians 20th-century Norwegian politicians 20th-century Norwegian women politicians Norwegian Association for Women's Rights people Politicians from Halden