Hedwig Dohm

A pioneering German feminist writer and philosopher who challenged gender norms in the 19th century.

Hedwig Dohm (1831–1919) was a radical feminist thinker whose revolutionary ideas about women's rights, education, and autonomy made her a trailblazer in European intellectual history. Born in Berlin, Dohm defied societal expectations by advocating for women's suffrage as early as 1873, decades before mainstream movements embraced the cause.

Her seminal essay 'Die Antifeministen' (The Antifeminists) dismantled arguments against gender equality with biting wit. She famously declared, Human rights have no gender, insisting that education and political participation were fundamental to women's liberation. Dohm also critiqued marriage laws and proposed universal childcare—ideas considered radical even by modern standards.

Despite facing ridicule from male contemporaries, her 1874 book Der Frauen Natur und Recht (Women's Nature and Right) laid groundwork for future feminist movements. She boldly argued that the alleged weaknesses of women are artificial products of oppression, challenging biological determinism.

Dohm's legacy lives on through organizations like the Hedwig Dohm Prize, awarded to contemporary feminist writers. Her granddaughter, Katia Mann (wife of Thomas Mann), continued her tradition of intellectual rebellion.