New Britain herald., 1929-08-20
It Isn't Front Page News For Norwegian
 Women to Fly Planes or Head Fms

dom for women is so taken as matter of course that there is no story" there in woman's winning this or that honor or occupying this or that position heretofore held only by men.
 That is what makes it slightly shocking to returning Ameri- can, Mrs. Bowman Hansen, to find women featured as news" here every time one of them is made president of a concern. flies plane. or does anything else that can be played up as "a new step in feminism."
 Mrs. Hansen is Bostonian by birth who met her Nordic hus- band when he was a student at Harvard. They have lived for a number of years in Oslo, Norway where Mir. Hansen is owner of the Hotel Continental. known as center of theatrical. literary and art life. In the midst of this ac- tive group, MT. Hansen is in po- SlllOIl lO bel all ullu9uol Sio l ton of feminine Norway.
 They came back this summer with their daughter Ellen to visit. Norway's Attitude
 Norway gave women the vote long ago. They have had equal rights, have owned property, >eld | positions and been interested in | municipal affairs for so long time that no one thinks of it as being unusual for a woman to ac- | complish things" Mrs. Hansen ex- plained her lack of enthusiasm for the "woman's angle" America takes.
 It is difficult to compare thf actual position held by women there and here, for Norway doe' not have a great middle class from which the majority ot our women successes come. But, &C., cording to Mrs. Hansen, Norwe- gian women are persons who "ork if they want to, without any fuss | being made about it.
 "Norvegians are serious race, greatly interested in the arts and sciences and very interested in their homes and family life" Mrs. Hansen said. Women lead tre- mendously interesting and pleas ant life. Everyone is active and in winter the whole town turns out on their skis (she pronounce ed it she-s). Long walks are daily routine. Little Ellen who is eight thinks nothing of a seren-mlle walk. And most women ride swim and play tennis.
 There's Place for Art "Home women usually have music or art interests and business girls do, too. There is not an expressing devotion to business found there. Girls who work in shops or as sec retaries have their recreations, too, The whole fabric of Norwegian life assumes that women, working or at home, are persons.
 Tt seems as if Norwegian Wo- men have more real freedom and less superficial featuring than women have here" she reflected. "Take the subject of divorce, for instance. A divorce in Norway costs approximately quarter in American money and can be had by mutual consent of both hus- band and wife without any pub licity or any statements from either. The couple merely appears before the judge, announces their decision to separate and if he cannot effect reconciliation, he grants them legal sanction. The divorce really is legal in one year but a woman must wait six months before remarrying. Usual ly the wife gets the children. Ali mony, however, is usually small given for the child's support
 Viewpoints Differ
 The difference in freedom o1 women here and abroad. in Mrs Hansens opinion, Is difference in viewpoint, rather than fact. Ii is American for every step taker by women to be advertised and put over" as feminlsm. IL Norwegian to accept women's ac' complishment as natural.
 T really think most move
 ments' are universal" Mrs. Han sen said. "Women all over thu world are going into work. Wo
 men all bobbed their hair, shorten
 ed their skirts and began to ns' makeup. There is the 'younge
 generation problem that concern
 every country. I think the differ ence in things in one country ant another usually is merely the diff ference in the characteristics o the country. America often i : ahead of the world and, becaus . it is characteristic for us to tall about things, the whole worlt knows just what Is being don
 hare. But all Continental Europ : has it's feminism. It is woman ! age everywhere, I think"