Lilly Engström (1843–1921) was a Swedish women's rights activist and

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

. In 1890, she became the first female member of a

Board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

in Sweden, after a reform the year prior, in which women were allowed to serve on governmental boards.

Life

Engström graduated from the

Högre lärarinneseminariet The Royal Seminary, fully the Royal Advanced Female Teachers' Seminary (, abbreviated KHLS), was a normal school (teachers' college) in Stockholm, Sweden. It was active from 1861 until 1943. It was the first public institution of higher acade ...

in 1864 and was a teacher at the Statens normalskola för flickor in 1864–1907. She was a member of the board of the

Fredrika-Bremer-Förbundet The Fredrika Bremer Association (, abbreviated FBF) is the oldest women's rights organisation in Sweden. The association stands for an inclusive, intersectional and progressive liberal feminism, and advocates for women's rights and LGBT rights. ...

in 1884–1920, of the Svenska lärarinnors pensionsförening (Retirement fund for female teachers) in 1873–1920, engaged in the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

movement and is regarded as a pioneer of the ''Pedagogiska sällskapet'' (Pedagogic Society). Engström was a member of the women's association

Nya Idun ('New Idun') is a Swedish cultural association for women founded in 1885, originally as a female counterpart to ('the Idun Society'). Its aim was to "gather educated women in the Stockholm area for informal gatherings". Activity was founded ...

, founded in 1885, and was one of its first committee members. In 1889, a law reform allowed for women to become civil servants, and the following year, Engström became the first female civil servant in Sweden when she became a member of the state school education board of the

Hedvig Eleonora Parish Hedvig Eleonora Parish () is a parish in Östermalm's church district (''kontrakt'') in the Diocese of Stockholm, Sweden. The parish is located in Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm County. The parish forms its own pastorship. History The paris ...

in Stockholm.

References

* Engström, Karolina Augusta (Lilly) i Nordisk familjebok (andra upplagans supplement, 1923) * Engström, släkter, urn:sbl:16166, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av BENGT HILDEBRAND.), hämtad 2015-05-04. {{DEFAULTSORT:Engstrom, Lilly 1843 births 1921 deaths Swedish women's rights activists 19th-century Swedish civil servants 19th-century women civil servants Swedish women civil servants 19th-century Swedish women politicians 19th-century Swedish politicians Members of Nya Idun 20th-century Swedish civil servants Women's firsts