with
Millicent Fawcett presiding, London 1909. Top row from left:
Thora Daugaard (Denmark), Louise Qvam (Norway),
Aletta Jacobs (Netherlands),
Annie Furuhjelm (Finland), Madame Mirowitch (Russia),
Käthe Schirmacher (Germany), Madame Honneger, unidentified. Bottom left: Unidentified,
Anna Bugge Wicksell (Sweden),
Anna Howard Shaw (USA),
Millicent Fawcett (Presiding, England),
Carrie Chapman Catt (USA),
F. M. Qvam (Norway),
Anita Augspurg (Germany). Ole Anton and Frerikke Marie Qvam moved to
Kristiania in 1893, when she was 50 years old. There Fredrikke Qvam soon became involved in the women's rights movement and other political activities. In 1896, Qvam was among the founders of the
Norwegian Women's Public Health Association and became its leader. The organization's stated purpose at the start was to provide medical supplies for use both in war and accidents during peacetime, to educate women in
first aid, to educate nurses, and to fight common diseases like tuberculosis and
rheumatism. The background was to a large degree the tense situation between Sweden and Norway as a result of increasing Norwegian demands for
independence from Sweden. In addition to focusing on
health issues and
social policies, the organization also became a meeting point for women concerned about voting rights for women and Norwegian independence from Sweden. Qvam belonged to the minority in the Women Voting Rights Association that did not want to compromise about full voting rights as a human right. In 1898, they broke away from the mother association and formed the Countrywide Women Rights Association () where Qvam became leader. When women obtained a limited right to vote in municipal elections in 1901, the Countrywide Women Rights Association challenged women to get involved in party work and they recruited candidates to political parties, mainly to the Liberal Party. In 1902–1903, Qvam lived in Stockholm where Ole Anton Qvam had been appointed
Norwegian Prime Minister in Stockholm. The success of gathering female signatures in support of the dissolution of the union earned women respect and was seen by many as a sign that women were politically mature enough to vote. It contributed to a process that led to full voting rights for women in 1913. After this, Qvam and the Countrywide Women Voting Rights Association focused on projects that should stimulate women to use their voting rights and participate in political activities. A motto frequently used by Qvam was "A right to vote is a duty to vote". Qvam remained leader of the Norwegian Women's Public Health Association until 1933 when she was 90. She received the
King's Medal of Merit in gold in 1911 and became Knight, First Class of
Order of St. Olav in 1915. == Death and legacy ==