Ligestilling, ægteskab og religion

Resumé

In the 1880’s the Danish Women’s Movement put the majority rights of married women on the agenda. The female position  according to the Bible as well as the equality of the spouses became important issues in the debate. This article analyses the institution of marriage from 1912, when the marriage ritual was  reformed, until the new marriage laws in 1922 and 1925.  Interestingly enough there was no conflict between religion and equality, although religion in general was considered to  legitimate female subordination in society. These two reforms - the marriage ritual and the marriage laws - modernised the institution of marriage and contributed to women’s political subjectivity and prepared women for the welfare system based on universal and individual rights.