Marthe Gosteli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marthe Gosteli
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Marthe Gosteli, 1970
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| Born | 22 December 1917 |
| Died | 7 April 2017 (aged 99) Muri bei Bern, Switzerland
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| Nationality | Swiss |
| Occupation | archivist and suffrage activist |
| Years active | 1940–2014 |
| Known for | creating the Swiss women's history archive |
Marthe Gosteli (born December 22, 1917 – died April 7, 2017) was a Swiss activist and archivist. She spent 30 years fighting for women's right to vote in Switzerland. After women gained this right, she worked to save the history of Swiss women. Marthe created an archive of women's stories and history. Her important work earned her many awards, including the Swiss Human Rights Award in 2011.
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Marthe Gosteli's Life Story
Marthe Gosteli was born on December 22, 1917. Her birthplace was Worblaufen, Switzerland, which is now called Ittigen. She studied business and learned languages. She traveled to French-speaking Switzerland and London for her studies.
Marthe's father passed away, leaving her mother to manage their family farm. With help from Marthe and her sisters, they kept the farm going. This experience showed Marthe how women faced unfair treatment. Because of this, she joined the women's rights movement in 1940.
Working for Change
During World War II, Marthe worked for the army's Wartime Broadcasting Service. After the war, she led the film department. This was at the US Embassy in Bern from 1949 to 1953, and again from 1955 to 1962.
In the mid-1960s, Marthe focused fully on the women's movement. In 1964, she became president of the Women's Suffrage Association of Bern. Suffrage means the right to vote. She wrote pamphlets and visited homes to gently introduce the idea of equality.
Marthe did not demand rights. Instead, she focused on how women could help their communities more. She feared that demanding rights would be rejected. This was because only men could vote on new laws at the time.
The Fight for the Vote
After four years, Marthe became vice president of the Federation of Swiss Women's Associations. This group is now known as Alliance F. In 1970, she became the head of a special group. This group worked on political rights for women.
Marthe and other women worked hard for the 1971 vote. They took part in many discussions and debates. Finally, on February 7, 1971, two-thirds of the men in Switzerland voted. They gave women the right to vote at the national level. This was a huge victory!
Preserving Women's History
After gaining the right to vote, the fight continued. Women wanted other equal rights. These included managing their own bank accounts and getting equal pay. They also fought for maternity leave and other important issues.
Marthe Gosteli then focused on saving the history of the women's movement. Her first try to start an archive of women's history did not work. But in 1982, she succeeded. She created the Gosteli Foundation. Its goal was to protect and save the history of Swiss women.
She started with a government collection of 19th-century books and magazines. Marthe then added to it with private gifts. These came from organizations and individuals. She organized everything and added it to a large information network. The collection grew into a huge library. It includes historical and personal stories about important women and groups. In January 2014, at 96 years old, Marthe retired from the archive.
Marthe Gosteli passed away on April 7, 2017, at the age of 99.
Recognized for Her Work
Marthe Gosteli received many awards for her important work.
- In 1989, she received the Trudy-Schlatter Prize.
- In 1992, she was honored with the Medal of the Community of Bern.
- The University of Bern gave her an honorary doctorate degree.
- In 2008, she received the Silver Medal of Merit.
- In 2011, she was given the Swiss Human Rights Award.
See also
In Spanish: Marthe Gosteli para niños
