Norwegian Female Leaders

The 35th prime minister of Norway and the 2nd female Norwegian politician to hold the position, Erna Solberg now leads the Conservative Party and thus serves as the Leader of the Opposition. She previously earned the nickname Iron Erna for her stern decisions as Norway’s Minister of Local Government and Regional Development.

Norway’s 29th prime minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland was also the country’s first female prime minister and had served 3 terms. A trained physician and a public health expert, she also headed the World Health Organization as its 5th director-general. She has been Norway’s minister of the environment and has headed the Labor Party, too.

Norwegian politician Mona Juul, who has previously led the Norwegian Labor Party, now serves as the Permanent Representative of Norway to the UN. She has also been Norway’s ambassador to the UK and has served as the 75th President of the UN Economic and Social Council.

Apart from being a bestselling thriller author, Nigerian writer Anne Holt has also been a lawyer, a journalist, and Norway’s minister of justice. Mainly known for her Hanne Wilhelmsen series and Vik/Stubø series, she is a former US resident and now divides her time between Norway and France.

Initially a sales consultant at Radio 1, Siv Jensen later joined politics and rose up the ranks to be the finance minister of Norway. The Progress Party leader opposes climate change theories and considers herself an opponent of radical Islam. She is the great-granddaughter of women’s rights activist Betzy Kjelsberg.

Norwegian politician and Progress Party leader Sylvi Listhaug has also served Norway as its minister of Petroleum and Energy, the Elderly and Public Health, Justice, Agriculture, and Immigration. She gained appreciation after reducing the number of asylum seekers in Norway by a huge margin in 2017.

Kjerstin Askholt is a Norwegian civil servant best known for her service as the Governor of Svalbard from 1 October 2015 to 24 June 2021. From 1990 to 1991, she served as the deputy director of Bredtveit Prison. From 1996 to 1999, Kjerstin Askholt also served as the deputy director of the Ministry of Justice.

Eva Joly is a Norwegian-born French magistrate and politician. An important member of Europe Écologie–The Greens, Joly represented the party as a presidency candidate of France in 2012. A popular politician, Eva Joly has also received prestigious awards such as the Peer Gynt Prize and the Sophie Prize.

Kaci Kullmann Five was a Norwegian politician best remembered for her service as the Minister of Trade and Shipping from 16 October 1989 to 3 November 1990. Five also led the Conservative Party on two occasions between 1988 and 1994. Kaci Kullmann Five was also associated with the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Guri Melby is a Norwegian politician best known for her service as the Minister of Education and Integration from 13 March 2020 to 14 October 2021. A prominent political leader, Guri Melby is currently serving as the leader of the popular Liberal Party.

Hadia Tajik is a Pakistani-Norwegian politician, jurist, and journalist. A member of the Labour Party, Tajik is best known for her service as the Minister of Culture from 21 September 2012 to 16 October 2013. Hadia Tajik also served as the Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion from 14 October 2021 to 4 March 2022.

Lise Børsum was a Norwegian organizational leader and writer. She is best remembered for her efforts to save the lives of Jews during the Second World War. After the war, Lise Børsum became a popular writer as she went about writing her experiences as a prisoner at the Ravensbrück concentration camp.