[4][5][6] Even though she wanted to train as a doctor, due to her mother's illness and financial problems her studies were disrupted for many years as she had to tend a family of seven people.

After passing out from the technical school in 1939 she chose a career related to trade unions and she worked for a Stockholm Hotel Group in their personnel department and then in a telephone company as Ombudsman.

With help provided by to female friends like Alva Myrdal (Swedish Social Democratic Party) and Ulla Lindström (journalist and politician) and with media publicity, in 1948, she became President of the Professional women's associations and Cooperation.

With rising popularity she became she vice president of International Federation of Business and Professional Women, in place of Alva Myrdal.

[3][6] In 1956, she had stated: "We business and professional women, conscious of our increased responsibilities towards mankind in the light of this new [atomic] power, accept the challenge of it and make it our own".

[3] In 1958 Sweden appointed her as its Permanent Representative to the United Nations (in place of Gunnar Jarring[citation needed]) and she was the first female to hold that post in the UN body which then consisted of 60 ambassadors from various countries.