First female doctor, lawyer or pilot in Hungary? These ladies wrote history

bédyschwimmer rózsa dienes valéria glücklich vilma torma zsófia

Photos: Wikimedia Commons

Many amazing women in this world lead the way to fight society’s expectations and gender inequality, who struggled to open doors for themselves and fellow women. Here are eight wonderful Hungarian women who were the first females in their careers.

Vilma Hugonnai was the first female doctor in Hungary, and she was also the first woman to get a degree, wrote Femina. She got married and had kids after school, but in 1872 she started attending the University of Zurich. Her degree was only recognised in 1896 in Hungary. She focused on the health of women and educating them throughout her career.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

While Hugonnai may have been the first Hungarian woman to get a degree, Vilma Glücklich was the first woman the get a degree in a Hungarian university. She founded the Hungarian Feminists union with her friend, Rózsa Bédy-Schwimmer and fought for equality and the right to vote.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Women still get paid 11 per cent less than men in Hungary

Rózsa Bédy-Schwimmer attended a trade school for boys. She was a journalist. She was a member of the National Assembly of Women Officials and co-founded the Feminist Union. She became not only Hungary’s but the world’s first female ambassador in 1918 when she started working as the Swiss ambassador.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Dr Margit Ungár got her degree in 1928 and became the first female lawyer in Hungary. She later joined the Feminist Union. She worked hard throughout her whole career despite there being attacked continuously for practising as a Jewish woman.

Lilly Steinschneider became the first female pilot in Hungary in 1912. She competed a lot and became very successful. She was not allowed to serve as a pilot in the first world war, so she worked as a nurse instead.

Valéria Dienes was the first female university professor in Hungary. She studied at the Péter Pázmány University and later founded her own Orkesztrai School in 1915. She also worked as a writer and philosopher.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Zsófia Torma was Hungary’s first female archaeologist. According to some reports she may have been the first female in the world to be one. She researched many Hungarian ancient settlements. She also got a bachelor of arts degree in 1899 at the University of Kolozsvár.

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Margit Slachta was a woman of variety. She was a Catholic nun, a school founder and a politician. She was the first female Hungarian representative at the Parliament. She founded a Women’s Movement, which she built up into a political party by 1947, and she became the first female president of it.