Signe Arnfred facts for kids
Signe Arnfred, born in 1944, is a Danish sociologist, writer, and a strong supporter of women's rights. In 1971, she became very involved in activities that helped women in Denmark. She was a key leader in the Red Stocking Movement. This group worked to make things fairer for women.
Signe Arnfred helped organize many meetings and workshops. These events were important for starting gender studies in Denmark. Gender studies is a field that looks at how society understands and treats different genders. In the 1980s, she lived in Mozambique for four years with her husband. There, she helped create new ways for women to be involved in politics. She also worked in Greenland in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Signe Arnfred has written many books and articles about women's roles in society.
Early Life and Education
Signe Arnfred was born on January 22, 1944, in Nykøbing Sjælland, Denmark. Her father, Axel Helweg Arnfred, was a doctor. Her mother, Asta Julie Busck, was a social worker. In 1989, she married Jan Birket-Smith, an architect. They have two daughters, Anne Julie, born in 1977, and Katrine, born in 1980.
Signe grew up in a close family. She finished high school in Copenhagen in 1962. For the next two years, she traveled around Scandinavia. She also taught in Jutland and worked as a maid in Italy. In 1964, she began studying philosophy at Aarhus University. Later, she moved to the University of Copenhagen. There, she earned a master's degree in cultural sociology in 1973. She also spent time studying at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.
Career and Women's Rights Work
When Signe Arnfred returned to Denmark in 1971, she joined a women's rights group called Kvindebevægelsen. In January 1972, she helped plan a very important weekend meeting in Tåstrup. About 250 women from all over Denmark came to this event.
Her work led her to connect with the Red Stocking Movement. This group believed in a type of feminism that also looked at how money and power affect women's lives. Throughout the 1970s, she helped organize many meetings and workshops. These events supported the women's movement and helped start women's studies. This work paved the way for gender studies to become a recognized academic subject.
Signe Arnfred wrote several books about these topics. In 1974, she co-wrote Kvindesituation og kvindebevægelse under kapitalismen (Women's Situation and Women's Movement under Capitalism) with Karen Syberg. She became an assistant professor at Roskilde University in 1974. By 1977, she was an associate professor.
In 1980, she moved to Mozambique with her family. She worked with a women's organization there until 1984. She helped bring new ideas about how women could be more involved in politics. In 1988, she moved to Greenland. There, she taught sociology at the University of Greenland. She also helped put together the book Kvinder i Grønland (Women in Greenland), published in 1991. Signe Arnfred continues to be interested in Africa. She has visited Mozambique again and worked as a consultant in Harare, Zimbabwe.
