Catherine Schleimer-Kill facts for kids
Catherine Schleimer-Kill (1884–1973) was a very important person from Luxembourg. She was a suffragist and a women's rights activist. This means she worked hard to get women the right to vote. She also fought for women to have equal rights in other parts of life. Catherine Schleimer-Kill started and led an important group called Action féminine.
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Who Was Catherine Schleimer-Kill?
Catherine Kill was born in 1884. Her father worked in a steel factory in Esch-sur-Alzette. She grew up to become a teacher. She studied at the Lehrerinnen-Normalschule in Luxembourg. In 1905, she married another teacher, Jean Schleimer.
Fighting for Women's Rights
Catherine was interested in politics from a young age. She joined the Catholic party. In 1919, women in Luxembourg finally got the right to vote. Catherine was the only woman from her party who ran for election that year.
Starting Action féminine
In 1924, Catherine Schleimer-Kill started her own group. It was called Action féminine, which means "Women's Action." This group worked to make women's lives better. Even though women could vote, they still didn't have all the same legal rights as men. For example, married women were not seen as fully independent in the law.
Action féminine became very successful. It grew to have local groups all over Luxembourg. In 1926, it joined a bigger international group called the International Council of Women.
A Newspaper for Women
From 1927, Action féminine also published its own newspaper. It was called Action féminine, just like the group. This was the first newspaper for women in Luxembourg. It helped spread ideas about women's rights.
Becoming a Politician
In 1928, Action féminine put forward a list of only female candidates. This was for the local city elections. Catherine Schleimer-Kill was elected to the city council of Esch-sur-Alzette. She served there until 1934. She continued to work for women's equality throughout her life.