Magnhild Hagelias veg til rikspolitikken

Abstract

Magnhild Hagelia (1904–1996), from the southern constituency Aust-Agder, was elected deputy president at Lagtinget (one of the two chambers of parliament) in 1960, and in 1962, she became the first woman to attend a session at the Norwegian Parliament. She grew up in the countryside during a time of deep unemployment, poverty, and social injustice. Motived to join the Social Democratic Party in 1935, she soon became a leading and popular speaker in her region, and in 1949 she unexpectedly won a seat in the parliament. In this article I argue a previously overlooked explanation that Hagelia’s win was not least a result of her Christian faith, which was important to many voters in a region characterised by revival Christianity and prayer houses. As a member of parliament for 16 years, she worked for a more equal society, and for women’s rights.