Hilda Maria Käkikoski

Hilda Maria Käkikoski (31 January 1864 – 14 November 1912) was a Finnish politician, writer and schoolteacher. She was one of the first nineteen women elected to Finnish parliament in 1907.

Life and career

Käkikoski was born Hilda Maria Sjöström in Lapinjärvi in 1864. She was described as a tomboyish child growing up in the countryside. She moved to Helsinki by herself at the age of 14 to attend a girls' high school with a scholarship. There, she cut her hair short and changed her Swedish surname to Käkikoski, the Finnish surname of her neighbours. After finishing school, she worked as a home tutor until 1888 when she enrolled in university; she completed a PhD in Finnish and Nordic history in 1895. She went on to become a teacher at a Helsinki school, teaching classes in history and the Finnish language from 1891 until 1902. Her students found her fascinating due to her unconventional habits and interests, such as being a vegetarian, gymnast, cyclist, wearing masculine clothing and having an assertive demeanor.

As Käkikoski developed an interest in feminism and women's suffrage, she became an active member of the Finnish Women's Association, and wrote numerous articles for the association's magazine. She was elected its vice president in 1895 and held the position until 1904. In 1907, she ran for election with the conservative Finnish Party to the newly established Parliament of Finland; the 1907 election marked the first that women were able to vote and be voted in. Käkikoski won the vote in her district, Uusimaa, and became one of the first 19 women elected to parliament. She did not stand for re-election in 1910 due to health problems.