Nielsine Nielsen (10 June 1850 – 8 October 1916) was the first female

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. She graduated in 1885 and in 1889 she established her own

medical practice Medicine is the science and practice of caring for patients, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

and worked as a

general practitioner A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...

. She was active in the

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 ...

movement through her work in Danish Women's Society.

Early life

Her parents were the well off shipowner Lars Nielsen (1808–86) and Karen Jensen (1811–82). She was raised in Svendborg. During her childhood, her brother and sister died of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

, which is said to have affected her interest in medicine.

Career

In 1868, she supported herself as a teacher at the Frøknerne Villemoes-Qvistgaards Institut in Copenhagen and worked as a governess in the provinces a couple of years. In 1874, she corresponded with the Swedish female physician Charlotte Yhlen, who advised her to contact the Danish parliamentarian C. E. Fenger, who was known to support women's rights and who had previously supported the first female Danish telegrapher, Mathilde Fibiger. Fenger forwarded her apply to study medicine at the university to the ministry of education. In 1875, a royal decree issued the reform to allow women access to university education. In 1877, she and Johanne Gleerup became the first two female university students in Denmark. She was given a small allowance from the Dansk Kvindesamfund to make it economically possible for her to study. She graduated as a medical doctor and physician in 1885. She established herself as a medical practitioner in Copenhagen. She had planned to specialize in gynecology, but the only Danish gynecologist at the time, F. Howitz, would not accept her. However, in 1906 she was appointed communal specialist in venereal diseases and engaged in the rights of prostitutes. Nielsine Nielsen was active in the women's movement through the Dansk Kvindesamfund (DK). However, critical of the much too careful DK, she became engaged in more radical women's groups. In 1893–1898, she was the chairperson of the women's suffrage association

Kvindevalgretsforeningen Kvindevalgretsforeningen (KVF), or the Women's Suffrage Association, was a Danish organization established by Line Luplau in 1889 specifically to promote women's suffrage. The association not only organized meetings on voting rights but participat ...

(KVF). In 1904, she and

Louise Nørlund Marie Sørine ''Louise'' Nørlund (1854–1919) was a Danish feminist and pacifist. She was the founder and chairman of the Danske Kvindeforeningers Valgretsforbund or DKV (the Danish Women's Society's Suffrage Union) in 1898–1907 and 1908–19 ...

, Birgitte Berg Nielsen and Alvilda Harbou Hoff became the first female members of the liberal party. In 1907, she was one of the co-founders of the

Landsforbundet for Kvinders Valgret Landsforbundet for Kvinders Valgret, or LKV (National Association for Women's Suffrage), was a Danish association for women's suffrage, active from 1907 until 1915. As the Danish Women's Society was initially not strongly committed to women's suff ...

Legacy

A road has been named after her at Bispebjerg Hospital. There was talk about naming a road at Rigshospitalet, but has not happened.

Early life

Career

Legacy

References

Further reading