Amélia Christinat
Amélia Christinat (6 February 1926 at Corticiasca, Ticino – 7 September 2016 in Geneva) was a Swiss politician and women's rights activist.[1][2] She sat in the National Council from 1978 to 1987 as the first female National Councillor from the canton of Geneva.
Amélia Christinat | |
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![]() Amélia Christinat in 1986. | |
Member of the National Council of Switzerland | |
In office 16 January 1978 – 29 November 1987 | |
Member of the Grand Council of Geneva | |
In office November 1969 – March 1980 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Corticiasca, Ticino | 6 February 1926
Died | 7 September 2016 90) Geneva | (aged
Nationality | Swiss |
Political party | Social Democratic Party of Switzerland |
Occupation | Worker Women's rights activist |
Life
Amélia Christinat was born in 1926 at Corticiasca, Ticino[3] in southeastern Switzerland, into a poor family.[2] She was the daughter of boilermaker Eugenio Petrall and of mountain farmer Maria-Maddalena Minuzzi.[4] She was trained as a dressmaker at the vocational school of Lugano. She subsequently worked at Tavaro SA and later as a civil servant at the post cheque office.[2]
In October 1949, she married Emile Christinat, a post administrator who was 17 years older than her. Their daughter Nadia was born in 1955. Emile died in 1994.[2]
Amélia Christinat died from a stroke on 7 September 2016[5][6] in Geneva.
Political career
Amélia first campaigned as a trade unionist and as a suffragist. After women's suffrage was introduced in the canton of Geneva in March 1960, Christinat joined the Social Democratic Party of Geneva.[2] She took part to the establishment of the Fédération romande des consommatrices (French-Swiss Consumers' Federation) alongside former syndic of Lausanne Yvette Jaggi[2] to promote the importance of the social and economic role of housewives.[4]
In 1978, she became the first female National Councillor from Geneva, representing the Social Democratic Party.[2] She campaigned for maternity insurance and for a better representation of women in the Federal Assembly.[7] She was nicknamed "la pasionaria" because of her passion.[8]
See also
References
- "La féministe socialiste genevoise Amélia Christinat s'est éteinte à 90 ans" (in French). RTSR. September 7, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- Bézaguet, Laurence (February 8, 2016). "La pasionaria Amélia Christinat fête ses 90 ans". La Tribune de Genève (in French). Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- "Christinat, Amélia". Base de données des élites suisses au XXe s. (in French). Observatoire des élites suisses. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- Liliane Mottu-Weber: Amélia Christinat in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, September 27, 2016.
- "Amélia Christinat, disparition d'une figure du PS genevois". Le Temps (in French). September 7, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- Budry, Eric (September 8, 2016). "Figure du PS, Amélia Christinat est décédée mercredi". 24 Heures (in French). Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- "Die SP Schweiz nimmt Abschied von zwei grossen Frauenrechtlerinnen: Lilian Uchtenhagen und Amélia Christinat" (in German). Social Democratic Party of Switzerland. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- "Amélia Christinat s'est éteinte à 90 ans". 20 Minutes (in French). Retrieved November 7, 2019.
External links
- Liliane Mottu-Weber: Amélia Christinat in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, September 27, 2016.
- Biography of Amélia Christinat on the website of the Swiss Parliament.