Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.06.2015, Qupperneq 38

In 1885, when the long battle for
women’s suffrage was in its early
stages, the 29-year-old Bríet wrote
a remarkable article in the magazine
‘Fjallkonan’ under the pseudonym
“Æsa.” The piece, “A Few Words On
The Education And Rights Of Women,”
was the first in Icelandic to raise the
subject of gender inequality—and
probably the first newspaper article
written by an Icelandic woman. To
celebrate 100 years of women’s
suffrage in Iceland, we have translated
a few excerpts from it for your perusal.
“A Few Words On The Educa-
tion And Rights Of Women”:
In this age of learning and progress,
many important issues regarding the
nation’s well-being and development
have been discussed and written
about, and it must be said that many
have written very well. Thus it is
surprising how few have found the
calling to write about an issue, which
is without a doubt one of the most
important of all; the education and
rights of women.
[...]
It’s truly remarkable how tight a
grip men hold over women’s freedoms
and rights. It seems that they think
it an important and exclusive right,
based on ancient tradition, that
they be everything to women, and
that women can’t be anything at all.
They justify this by referencing the
scripture, that the woman is but a “rib
from a man,” and can therefore never
be anything more, and that the “man is
the woman’s head.” They leave out the
last bit of this oft-repeated proverb.
Either their memory doesn’t
extend any further, or they do not
think it worthy of consideration.
Naturally, men, who do not have
more intelligence than to think that
education and progress for women is
somehow threatening to them—and
who do not have more honor than
to want to base their own prestige
and progress on the humiliation and
enslavement of women—hold these
words in great esteem (even though
they know no other words from the
Bible, nor believe in it).
But in spite of all their arguments
and all their objections, they are
never able to provide sound reasons
for why they think women are less fit
for education than men, or why they
should enjoy fewer rights. What’s
more, they can’t deny that now, in
this age of progress and freedom,
the conditions for women are in many
ways worse than during the days of our
forefathers, who nevertheless were
much more backwards than present-
day people.
We only need to read the Sagas
to see that women shared far more
control with their husbands during
those days, and were far more
independent.
[...]
So that our daughters may
become useful members of society,
their parents and relatives must value
their talents in the same way that they
do their sons. They must stop making
such a great distinction between
young men and women. They must
keep in mind that their children's
mentality and aims are chiefly their
responsibility.
Should the daughters not
possess a clear idea of how absurd
it is that young girls cannot operate
without help from their brothers or
other men, it needs to be clarified. We
must ensure that our daughters realize
how much enterprise and resolve
can accomplish. They must see how
vapid affectation and prudery is a sign
of lack of education and an inferior
mind, but that the greatest and most
enduring beauty is a noble and active
will, and a desire to work for the good
of oneself and others.
But, on the other hand, it is
women's own responsibility to do
anything in their power to show that
they are more than mere claptrap, that
they possess the skills and intention
to be their brothers'
equals. They need
to show indeed, that
they are as capable
of taking part in life's
solemnities as well
as its diversions.
Women have often
been accused of
unneeded affection
and prudery—and
not without reason.
However, those
disadvantages are somewhat a result
of the lack of education that women
suffer from.
Women are not created only
to serve as decorative ornaments
inside the house, possessing no
determination, and to be of no use
other than to entertain the eyes of
those who look at them. No, the
woman is created to carry the same
responsibilities and possess the same
rights as man, to the extent that her
talents and intentions allow. She is
equal to her brothers and companion
to man. She therefore needs to harbor
an alert interest in her rights, and also
show that she has both the sense and
intention to make use of them. Women
cannot regard getting married as their
only calling.
History also shows that women of
all ages and all positions have taken
a great part in the interests of their
nations, and often
worked intrepidly for
the benefit of their
motherland.
[...]
I hope that men
will consider this
seriously sooner than
later, and not only the
few who have raised
the issue, but the
general public as a
whole. I hope that
women will see for themselves that
their own health and rights are at stake,
and that they will not sit idle and silent
any longer, when someone campaigns
for them, but march confidently and
fight the languor, enslavement and
prejudice that so far have stifled any
mental and worldly progress. I hope
that they will find the truth in the
saying “knowledge is power.” I hope
that they will now finally understand
the sign of times and see that they
should arise from this slumber. I hope
that they will want to see that they are
the legitimate daughters of the ancient
and free Icelanders that will not allow
anyone to take away their rights and
freedom.
-Æsa.
Feminism In The
1880s:
“Women Aren't Allowed
To Be Anything At All”
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Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir (1856-1940) was the most promi-
nent Icelandic women's rights advocate of the late 19th
and early 20th century. A tireless campaigner, teacher,
journalist and magazine editor, Bríet was also part of the
first group of women who were elected to Reykjavík’s City
Council, in the 1908 municipal election. She went on to at-
tend International Women's Suffrage Conferences, mak-
ing contacts with suffragettes around the world, sharing
thoughts and ideas that would go on to influence Icelan-
dic life for years to come.
Words
Lemúrinn and Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir
38 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 8 — 2015LEMÚRINN
Lemúrinn is an Icelandic web magazine (it's also the Icelandic word for the native
primate of Madagascar). A winner of the 2012 Web Awards, Lemúrinn.is covers
all things strange and interesting. Go check it out at www.lemurinn.is
So that our daughters
may become useful
members of society,
their parents and rela-
tives must value their
talents in the same way
that they do their sons.