[1][5] During World War II, she worked in Vaasa Province as the public education secretary for Suomen Huolto [fi], an organization that provided aid to civilians.

[1] In 1950, she married farmer Yrjö Kangas, whom she had met in her work for the Agrarian League, and they had three sons and two daughters.

[3][4] Though Kangas left her job as a travel secretary after her marriage to become a homemaker, she remained active in politics and she was elected to the city council of Lapua in 1956.

[2] As second minister, she worked on legislation regarding maternity leave and veterans' pensions, and unsuccessfully lobbied for increased regulation of the sale of beer.

[3] In 1983, Kangas lost her re-election bid, in part due to her support of Ahti Karjalainen for the Centre Party's presidential nominination, as Johannes Virolainen was a more popular candidate among voters in her district.