Alojzija Štebi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alojzija Štebi
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 24 March 1883 |
| Died | 9 August 1956 (aged 73) Ljubljana, Socialist Republic of Slovenia
|
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Occupation | teacher, politician, journalist, civil service employee |
| Years active | 1903–1956 |
Alojzija Štebi (born March 24, 1883 – died August 9, 1956) was an important Slovene woman. She was a teacher, a politician, and a journalist. She worked hard to make sure women had equal rights. She wanted everyone to be treated fairly in society.
Alojzija Štebi used her writing and political ideas to help create a more equal society. She supported the idea of a united Yugoslavia. But she also wanted to make sure that women's rights were not lost when different states joined together. She started a group called the Feminist Alliance. This group worked to unite women in the new country. They fought for things like equal pay, civil marriage, and better care for children and workers.
Contents
Early Life
Alojzija Štebi was born in Ljubljana on March 24, 1883. At that time, Ljubljana was part of a country called Austria-Hungary. Her parents were Marija and Anton Štebi. Her family and friends often called her "Lojzka."
She went to primary and high school for girls. In 1899, she began training to become a teacher. She finished her teacher training in 1903.
A Career for Change
After finishing her studies, Štebi started working as a substitute teacher in Tainach, Carinthia. The next year, she became a full-time teacher in Tržič.
Writing and Politics
In 1911, Štebi began writing about issues important to women. By 1912, she was writing for a socialist newspaper called Zarja (Dawn). She also started editing a newspaper for tobacco workers.
In 1913, Štebi was chosen to be part of the Carniolan Provincial Assembly. She represented the Yugoslav Social-Democratic Party. She also began giving speeches at meetings in the region. Her political ideas were considered very progressive. This caused problems with the school where she taught. Because of this, she left her teaching job in 1914.
Štebi continued to write and edit. In 1915, she became an editor for a women's socialist newspaper, Ženski list (Women’s newspaper). She then became chief editor of the daily newspaper Naprej (Forward) in 1917. In 1918, she was the chief editor of Demokracija (Democracy).
Fighting for Women's Rights
In 1917, Štebi joined other women to create the Slovene Social Society. She wanted to protect the rights of women and children in the new country of Yugoslavia. She was worried that new laws might take away rights that Slovenian women already had. She pushed for changes to protect women across all parts of Yugoslavia.
In 1918, she wrote an important paper called Demokratizem in ženstvo (Democracy and Womanhood). In this paper, she shared her ideas for improving women's education. She also wanted women to have the right to vote. She believed women should have equal rights in society and politics. Štebi felt that women could help make society better by using their caring instincts.
That same year, she started working for the government of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. She worked as a superintendent in the Department for Youth Welfare in Ljubljana. This was the first of several government jobs she held. She focused on social welfare and policies. However, because of her political views, she was forced to leave government work in 1927.
Leading Women's Groups
Between 1919 and 1923, Štebi was a member of the National Women’s Association. But she left because she felt it wasn't doing enough. In 1923, she started her own group, the Feminist Alliance of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In 1926, this group was renamed the Women’s Movements’ Alliance of Yugoslavia (AZPJ).
Štebi was the president of the AZPJ until 1927. This group worked to achieve equal rights for women in all areas of life. The organization grew across the country. It helped unite women from different cultures for a common goal. Štebi believed that socialism could help change how society viewed women. She studied the ideas of many thinkers, including August Bebel and Karl Marx.
During this time, she also took part in many international women's meetings. She attended conferences in places like Rome, Belgrade, Washington, D.C., Prague, Berlin, Paris, and Dubrovnik.
Later Work and Ideas
In 1927, Štebi moved to Belgrade. There, she began editing a journal for the AZPJ called Ženski pokret (Women’s movement). She edited this journal until 1938. The journal was published in Slovene, Croatian, and Serbian.
She also wrote two small books that were translated into French. These books explained the women's movement in Yugoslavia to people in other countries. They were called Le travail des féministes Yugoslaves (1931) and L’activité des sociétés feminines en Yugosloavie (1936).
In 1933, Štebi became an assistant secretary in the Ministry of Social Policy and National Health. In this role, she supported ideas for family planning. She also pushed for laws to make men and women equal in their homes, personal lives, and politics. Besides voting rights, she wanted civil marriage and equal custody of children. She also believed that children born outside of marriage should have the same rights.
Štebi wanted equal property laws, so women could inherit property equally. She also suggested that housework should be seen as paid work. She pushed for equal pay for government workers. She also wanted insurance to cover accidents, illness, injuries, and old age for both men and women. She believed women should be able to work as Labor Inspectors to help improve worker safety and health. Štebi also spoke out against child labor and unfair treatment of workers.
World War II and After
In 1940, Štebi returned to Ljubljana. She moved in with her brother, Anton Štebi, and his wife, Cirila Pleško Štebi. Cirila was also a women's rights activist. In 1941, her household supported the Slovene Partisans. Because of this, her brother was killed by the Nazis. Her sister-in-law was sent away and died in Auschwitz the next year.
After the war ended, Štebi returned to government work. She worked for the new People's Republic of Slovenia. She worked in the Department of Education and Human Resources. In 1947, she became the head of this department. The next year, she was promoted to lead the Board of Administration for Workers.
In 1950, Štebi retired. But she continued to work on special projects for the Ministry of Education until 1956.
Death and Legacy
Alojzija Štebi died on August 9, 1956, in Ljubljana.
See Also
- Women's suffrage in Yugoslavia
Images for kids
-
Alojzija Štebi
