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SCANDINAVIAN MONTHLY | HEALTH SPECIAL
The Swedish Women’s Lobby Text Tor Kjolberg
The Swedish non-profit health organization, the 1.6 Million Club (1.6 Miljonerklubben) fights against sexist discrimination in the healthcare and medical research sector. The organization was founded by Alexandra Charles in 1998, and she has been the chairwoman ever since. The name came about because, at the time, there were 1.6 million women over the age of 45 in Sweden. Learn more about the Swedish Women’s Lobby.
about heart disease and other issues affecting women’s health. You may also like to read: Why Do People Want To Live in Scandinavia “Most people don’t know that heart conditions are the most common cause of death in our country,” says Alexandra Charles. “Women and men even react differently to heart attacks. So when I found out that medical research was based on men, I wanted to put a gender perspective into the research in order to give women the same possibilities of getting the best health care.” In 2008, The 2.6 Million Club was established for women over the age of
25 with the same objective as The 1.6 Million Club. Nevertheless, any adult can join the organizations, including men. Today the club disseminates knowledge and information about all issues dealing with women’s health and women’s situation. They are active on issues such as healthcare, getting a job, immigrant women’s conditions, the economy, the environment and culture. Alexandra’s initiative has become Sweden’s largest non-political nonprofit women’s rights organization with over 35,000 active members. The club has since grown with sister organizations in Norway, Finland,
Alexandra Charles in May 2013
Alexandra started the club after she had heard from doctors and researchers how male-dominated medical research was and how women were being discriminated against in health care. She wanted to spread more female-oriented information
Alexandra started the club after she had heard from doctors and researchers how male-dominated medical research was and how women were being discriminated against in health care.
