Rosina Heikel

Emma Rosina Heikel (17 March 1842 – 13 December 1929) was a Finnish medical doctor and feminist.

[2] From a young age she believed that access to education should be equal for all regardless of gender and had decided by 1862 to become a doctor like her brothers.

[1] There were no Finnish universities at the time, however, that would allow women to study medicine, and so she travelled to Sweden to train in physiotherapy at the Stockholm Gymnastics Institute.

[1] Outside of medical practice, Heikel was an active proponent of the women's rights movement and the feminist association Naisasialiitto Unioni.

[4] In 1888, Heikel spoke at a meeting of the Finnish Medical Society against legalised prostitution, and in 1892 she addressed the Naisasialiitto Unioni to promote equality in educational opportunities for girls and boys.