Gudrun Schyman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gudrun Schyman
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Gudrun Schyman in August 2014
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| Leader of Feminist Initiative | |
| In office 6 March 2013 – 28 October 2018 Serving with Sissela Nordling Blanco (since 2011)
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| Leader of the Swedish Left Party | |
| In office 1993–2003 |
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| Preceded by | Lars Werner |
| Succeeded by | Ulla Hoffmann (Interim) |
| Member of the Riksdag | |
| In office 3 October 1988 – 5 September 1997 |
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| In office 8 October 1997 – 2 October 2006 |
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| Constituency | Stockholm County |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gerd Gudrun Maria Schyman
9 June 1948 Täby, Sweden |
| Political party | Climate Alliance |
| Other political affiliations |
Left Party (until 2004) Feminist Initiative (2005–2022) |
| Alma mater | Socialhögskolan i Stockholm |
| Profession | Politician |
Gerd Gudrun Maria Schyman (born 9 June 1948) is a Swedish politician. She was the leader of the Swedish Left Party from 1993 until January 2003. She continued as a member of the Left Party until 2004. At that time, she decided to focus completely on her work for women's rights. She remained an independent member of the Riksdag (Sweden's parliament) until 2006. She helped start Feminist Initiative in 2005. She was a leader for this party from 2005 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2019. She left the party in 2022.
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Gudrun Schyman's Political Journey
Leading the Left Party
In 1993, Gudrun Schyman became the leader of the Left Party. She was very popular with voters. Her party gained many more members of parliament while she was in charge. She was known for being honest and direct. For example, she supported making the Riksdag a workplace free of alcohol. During her time as party leader, the party decided to make feminism a main part of its beliefs.
In 2002, she gave a speech about how women are treated unfairly. She said that unfair treatment happens everywhere. She compared it to how women were treated in Taliban's Afghanistan and also in Sweden.
In October 2004, Schyman and other members of the Left Party suggested something important. They asked the Riksdag to figure out the cost of violence against women in Sweden. They also asked the government to help pay for women's shelters. This idea got a lot of attention. Some media called it a "man tax" because of its focus on men's violence.
Starting Feminist Initiative
Gudrun Schyman left the Left Party in 2004. In 2005, she helped create Feminist Initiative (Fi). This group decided to run in the next parliamentary elections. The famous actress Jane Fonda supported Fi in 2006. This was during the party's campaign for the 2006 Swedish general election.
However, Fi only received about 0.7% of the votes. To get seats in parliament, a party needs at least 4% of the votes. In the 2009 European Parliament election in Sweden, the party got 2.22% of the votes.
In the summer before the 2010 Swedish general election, Schyman did something unusual. She burned 100,000 Swedish krona (Swedish money). This was a protest against unequal pay in Sweden. An advertising group called Studio Total helped with this event. This action brought a lot of attention to Fi. Still, the party only got 0.4% of the votes in that election.
The 2014 European Parliament election in Sweden was the party's most successful election. They received 5.3% of the votes across the country. Because of this, Soraya Post won a seat as a MEP. In the 2014 Swedish general election, Fi got 3.1% of the votes. Even though they did not reach the 4.0% needed for parliament, they became the most popular party outside of the Riksdag.
See also
In Spanish: Gudrun Schyman para niños
