Josefina Deland facts for kids

Josefina Deland (born October 1, 1814, in Stockholm, Sweden – died March 8, 1890, in Paris, France) was an important Swedish woman. She was a writer, a French teacher, and a pioneer for women's rights. She is best known for starting a special fund called Svenska lärarinnors pensionsförening (which means 'Society for Retired Female Teachers'). She was the leader of this society from 1855 to 1859.

Early Life and Career

Josefina Deland came from a family of performers. Her father, Louis Deland, was a ballet dancer. Her mother, Maria Deland, was an actress. Josefina's father spoke some French. She also visited France when she was young. Because of this, she became a French teacher in Stockholm during the 1840s and 1850s. She even wrote a book about the French language in 1839.

Fighting for Women's Rights

Josefina Deland was a feminist. This means she believed in equal rights for women. She became a very early activist for women's rights in Sweden. At that time, there wasn't an organized women's movement in Sweden, except for a few individual people like Sophie Sager.

In 1852, Josefina started a public discussion. She pointed out that the government did not provide any pension for retired female teachers or governesses. A pension is like a regular payment given to someone after they stop working. Because there was no pension, many of these women ended up in the poor house after they retired. A poor house was a place where very poor people lived.

Founding the Teachers' Pension Fund

Thanks to Josefina's hard work, a special government fund was created in 1855. It was called Svenska lärarinnors pensionsförening. This fund helped retired female teachers.

Josefina wanted women to organize this society themselves. Some people in the media made fun of her for this idea. They also thought her behavior was too "aggressive." The discussion about her ideas was remembered for a long time. People often repeated her words: "No Gentlemen! No Gentlemen!"

Later Life and Legacy

In 1859, Josefina Deland moved from Sweden to France. After she left, another woman named Sofia Ahlbom became the new leader of the Svenska lärarinnors pensionsförening.

In the same year, a funny play was performed in Stockholm. It was called Mamsell Garibaldi eller Inga herrar, inga herrar! (which means 'Miss Garibaldi or No Gentlemen! No Gentlemen!'). The play was written by August Säfström. It made fun of Josefina Deland and her strong opinions.