Mette Groes (1937–2014) was a Danish politician,

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

and lecturer at Aalborg University. Representing the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, s ...

, she was a temporary member of the

Folketing The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

(1977– 1987) and a member of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

(1979–1980). Committed to equal rights for men and women, her many publications include the book ''Hustruvold'' (Violence against Wives, 2001).

Biography

Born in the Copenhagen district of

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...

on 9 June 1937, Mette Groes was the daughter of FDB director Ebbe Groes and his wife, Lis née Tørsleff, former Minister of Trade and Industry. She was the eldest of the family's nine children. A keen reader from an early age, after graduating from high school she first studied libranianship but quickly turned to

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

Career

Groes first was first employed in Copenhagen as a social worker for the Modrehjælpen (mothers' help) organization and shortly afterwards at Bispebjerg Hospital where she moved into leadership. For the benefit of patients, she initiated collaboration between the authorities responsible for social work and the hospital management, After courses in social work were introduced at Aalborg University in 1971, Groes was invited to participate. In 1974, she became a lecturer and helped to develop a programme of study in social work. She was attached to the university until 2002. As a result of her commitment to

social equality Social equality is a state of affairs in which all individuals within society have equal rights, liberties, and status, possibly including civil rights, freedom of expression, autonomy, and equal access to certain public goods and social servi ...

, she joined the Social Democrats, where she served as a member between February 1977 and September 1987. From July 1979 to September 1980, she was a member of the Socialist Group at the European Parliament. Groes was twice a member of the Aalborg City Council, in 1974––78 and in 1989–93. She also served on the board of the Danish Association of Social Workers and from 1970 to 1973 she was vice president of the Danish Women's Society. Among her publications is the book ''Hustruvold: socialrådgivens arbejdsmetoder'' (2001) on how to combat violence suffered by housewives. Mette Groes died in Gentofte on 8 November 2014 and is buried in Aalborg's Dokkedal Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Groes, Mette 1937 births 2014 deaths People from Frederiksberg Social Democrats (Denmark) politicians 20th-century Danish women politicians MEPs for Denmark 1979–1984 20th-century women MEPs for Denmark Academic staff of Aalborg University Members of the Folketing 1987–1988 Members of the Folketing 1984–1987 Women members of the Folketing Danish social workers 20th-century Danish writers 21st-century Danish writers 20th-century Danish women writers 21st-century Danish women writers Danish women's rights activists