The municipalities had authority to tax and became the providers of most welfare services to individuals, the scope of which is defined by national laws.
Women could vote in local elections if they were of adult age, unmarried, and had a high enough independent income or property.
[1] The Swedish municipality laws were part of a wave of changes to European constitutions that defined and recognized local government entities; other reforms were adopted in Switzerland (1803), France (1831), Belgium (1831), Denmark (1837), Norway (1837), Netherlands (1848), and Finland (1865).
[4] One study finds that the suffrage reform " was a key factor in Sweden’s growth miracle because it gave industrialists more political clout, kick-starting the process."
The study specifically found that the extension of suffrage allowed industrialists to gain "the necessary political power to construct railways, and this led to more widespread economic development.