Margarete Bonnevie


Margarete Ottilie Bonnevie was a Norwegian author, feminist and politician for the Liberal Party of Norway.

Biography

She was born at Nesbyen in Buskerud, Norway. She was a daughter of Conservative Party leader, Supreme Court Justice and Member of Parliament Ole Larsen Skattebøl and Karen Christine Poppe Rømcke. She grew up in Hallingdal and was educated as a French language translator. She worked from 1906 to 1913 as French correspondent for Norsk Hydro.
In 1913, she married Supreme Court judge Thomas Bonnevie, son of cabinet minister Jacob Aall Bonnevie. He was also the brother of professor Kristine Bonnevie and jurist Carl Bonnevie.
She was President of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights 1936–1946, and is credited with reviving the women's movement in the 1930s. She also served as a board member of the International Alliance of Women 1939–1949. She was a co-founder of the Human-Ethical Association in 1956, and a member of its first board until 1958. She also served as President of the Oslo branch of the women's association of the Liberal Party and as a deputy member of the Oslo City Council in the 1930s.
She also released a number of books. In 1932, she published her first and most notable book, . Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, she participated in the debate on women's position and women's role. She continued to write articles in journals and in daily press throughout her life.

Selected works