Kvinnliga arbetarklubben

Kvinnliga arbetarklubben or Malmö kvinnliga arbetareförbund (literary:'Women's Worker's Club' or 'Malmö Women's Worker's Association') was a pioneer worker's association for women in Malmö in Sweden, founded 17 October 1888 and dissolved in 1892.^[1] It was the first organisation for women in the Swedish labour movement. It was also one of the first organisations of the Swedish labour movements, founded one year prior to the Swedish Social Democratic Party.

Foundation

The 1880s was a period of great activity and organisation of the new labour movement in Sweden, as well as the introduction of Socialism within it. While women came to be included in the labour movement, there where discrimination as well as a principal dislike within it to organise any sort of separate women's organisations, because according to the dominant belief within the movement, women's concerns were to be dealt with in parallel to men's, not separately, which could sometime result in women workers needs being neglected.^[2] The Kvinnliga arbetarklubben was founded by a group of politically engaged women within the labor movement. While women's organizations and even trade unions had existed before, this was the first socialist women's club and the first club exclusively for women within the labor movement, and thus played a pioneering role.^[3]

Function

The stated purpose of the club was not, officially, to work with "women's issues", but to work to recruit more women to become involved within the labour movement and interested in becoming politically involved.

in 1890–92.

Dissolution and aftermath

In 1892, the club was officially dissolved.

, which was founded in 1892 with Kvinnliga arbetarklubben as its role model, and became the first women's club to be formally included in the Swedish Social Democratic Party.

In 1900, a new women workers club was founded in Malmö by the members of the former Kvinnliga arbetarklubben, called

(literary: 'Malmö Women's Discussion Club') which could be seen as the re-founding of the old Kvinnliga arbetarklubben under a new name.

References