Melitta Marxer

Melitta Kaiser[1] was born on 8 September 1923[2] in Schaanwald, Liechtenstein, and was raised there with her four siblings. After completion of her secondary schooling, Kaiser went to work in a ceramics factory. At age 25, she left the factory when she married[3] Felix Marxer (1922–1997) in 1949 and began their family.[1] As her three daughters grew up, she increasingly became aware of the inequalities and double standards facing women in Liechtenstein and the fact that only her husband could vote in elections.[3] She supported her daughters in their desire for higher education[3] and joined the fight for girls to be allowed to attend high school, which was attained in the 1960s.[4]

Marxer and other feminists then turned their attention to the referendum held in 1968 for women's suffrage, which failed. The women formed the Committee for Women's Suffrage (German: Komitée für das Frauenstimmrecht) to work towards gaining the vote.[4] In 1971 and 1973, referenda failed with the majority blocking enfranchisement.[6] Unable to make headway, in 1981, Marxer and other feminists formed Aktion Dornröschen,[4] which technically means thorny rose, but was a play on words for the German name of the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty".[5] The women brought a complaint to the Constitutional Court charging that their rights had been abridged. In 1982, the case was dismissed.[4] The government refused to reevaluate the situation, forcing Marxer and 11 other Sleeping Beauty activists to take other action.[7] They traveled throughout Europe speaking about their lack of rights. In 1983, they arrived in Strasbourg, France,[5] where Marxer and the others brought their concerns before the Council of Europe.[8] The move brought criticism at home, for putting the country in the international spotlight, but it was effective.[5] On 2 July 1984, the male voters in Liechtenstein granted full voting rights to women.[6]

In 2002, a Swiss documentary, Die andere Hälfte, (The Other Half) was made, which told the story of Marxer and the struggle for women’s rights in Liechtenstein.[7] Marxer died on 13 February, 2015.[2]