Gina Krog

Jørgine Anna Sverdrup "Gina" Krog (20 June 1847 – 14 April 1916) was a Norwegian suffragist, teacher, liberal politician, writer and editor, and a major figure in liberal feminism in Scandinavia.

She played a central role in the Norwegian liberal women's rights movement from the 1880s until her death, notably as a leading campaigner for women's right to vote. In 1884, Krog co-founded the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights with liberal MP Hagbart Berner. Over the next two decades, Krog co-founded the Women's Voting Association, the National Association for Women's Suffrage, and the Norwegian National Women's Council, spearheading the presentation of women's suffrage proposals to the Storting (the Norwegian parliament). Krog wrote articles and gave speeches, travelling throughout Europe and North America to attend international women's rights conferences. She was editor of the Norwegian feminist periodical Nylænde (New Land) from 1887 until her death in 1916. She was an early member of the Liberal Party and served as a deputy member of its national board. Krog was strongly inspired by the American liberal women's rights movement spearheaded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Krog was regarded as an unapologetic liberal progressive during her time, seeking full and equal voting rights for all women on the same conditions as men. In the 19th century these views brought Krog into conflict with more moderate members of the Norwegian women's movement, many of whom argued for narrower approaches, focusing first on enfranchising privileged women; before 1900 only men of certain means and position had the right to vote as well. In 1910, the Storting granted universal voting rights to women for municipal elections, extending this to general elections in 1913.

Krog was the first woman in Norway to receive a state funeral. Since 2009, the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights has awarded the biennial Gina Krog Prize for feminist advocates.

Jørgine Anna Sverdrup "Gina" Krog was born on 20 June 1847 in Flakstad Municipality, Lofoten as the daughter of parish priest Jørgen Sverdrup Krog (1805–1847) and Ingeborg Anna Dass Brinchmann (1814–1872). Gina Krog's brother was barrister Fredrik Arentz Krog. After her father's early death, Krog lived with her mother in Karmøy Municipality until she was eight years old, and then moved to Christiania. In Christiania, she attended a school for girls.

As a young adult, she worked as a teacher in private schools for several years, continuing to improve her knowledge of languages and literature through self-study. Through her brother, she became the aunt of writer Helge Krog and the sister-in-law of feminist Cecilie Thoresen Krog. Krog was among the first women to go hiking in the mountains of Jotunheimen, which gave her a reputation as a "mountaineer". She never married.

In 1880, Krog gave up her teaching career permanently in order to advocate for women's rights. She travelled to Great Britain, where she stayed at Bedford College and made contacts within the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, including its leader Millicent Garrett Fawcett. While in Britain, Krog wrote articles and sent them back to Norwegian newspapers, at first using pseudonyms. Her experiences with the British suffrage movement helped develop her own feminist views. In contrast to more moderate feminists of the time – who focused on more generally improving the economic conditions of women – Krog's views were considered radical: a demand for full political rights for women. Her goal was the achievement of women's suffrage in conditions equal with men, without compromise. In her arguments, Krog emphasized the common human qualities shared by men and women, reasoning that anyone who paid taxes and accepted civic responsibilities should receive the same freedoms and political status. Although some suffragists preferred to focus on gender differences, claiming women had special feminine qualities that made them deserving of the vote, Krog avoided using this rhetoric.

Upon returning to Norway, in 1883 Krog became a founding member of the first Norwegian women's business club. The following year, she was one of the first Norwegian women to engage in a public debate, tackling women's rights in a three-day debate organized by students. In 1884, Krog co-founded the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights (Norwegian: Norsk Kvinnesaksforening) together with its first chairman Hagbard Emanuel Berner. The association initially attracted 220 members, both women and men, and was based out of Kristiania. It was decided that the association would focus on supporting women's education, work benefits and marriage rights. When Berner drafted the association's mission statement, he declared a neutral purpose of aiming "to provide the woman with her right and place in society". Many association members shared the view that women's suffrage should not be considered a priority, since Norwegian women "had not shown sufficient interest in participating in politics". Krog, however, wanted the association to pursue equal voting rights for men and women, and her position brought her into direct conflict with Berner.