Sonja Lyttkens facts for kids
Sonja Lyttkens (born August 26, 1919 – died December 18, 2014) was a Swedish mathematician. She was a true pioneer! Sonja was the third woman in Sweden to earn a doctorate degree in mathematics. Even more importantly, she was the first of these women to get a permanent job as a university professor in math.
Sonja Lyttkens also worked hard to make universities more welcoming for women. She noticed that the tax system in Sweden at the time made it hard for women to work, especially if their husbands earned money. Her observations helped change the law so that married people were taxed separately, which was much fairer for women.
Early Life and Education
Sonja Lyttkens grew up in different towns in Sweden, including Halmstad, Karlskrona, and Kalmar. In 1937, she moved to Uppsala to study mathematics at Uppsala University. Her studies were paused for a while when she got married and had children.
She earned her first advanced degree, called a licentiate, in 1951. Then, in 1956, she completed her Ph.D. (doctorate) in mathematics. Her special research was about something called "Tauberian theorems." She was the third woman in Sweden to get a math doctorate. The first was Louise Petrén-Overton in 1911, and the second was Ingrid Lindström in 1947.
Breaking Barriers in Academia
For a long time, women in Sweden were not allowed to hold public university jobs. This rule changed in 1925. Even after the rule changed, it was still very hard for women to get these positions. The first two women with math doctorates, Louise Petrén-Overton and Ingrid Lindström, ended up working as schoolteachers.
Sonja Lyttkens changed this! In 1963, she became a permanent senior lecturer at Uppsala University. This made her the first woman with a math doctorate in Sweden to get a lasting university job in mathematics. In 1970, she also became the first female inspektor (an honorary leader of a student group) for the Kalmar nation at the university. She retired from her university work in 1984.
Personal Life and Hobbies
Sonja Lyttkens was the daughter of a famous Swedish sculptor named Anna Petrus. Her father, Harald Lyttkens, was a doctor. Two of Sonja's children, Ulla Lyttkens and Harald Hamrell, grew up to become film actors and directors.
Besides her amazing work in mathematics, Sonja Lyttkens also loved to paint. She created many beautiful watercolor paintings both before and after she retired. She even had several art exhibitions to show her work!
