She was born in Vaxholm and was elected to the Riksdag in 1974. She had a junior role in the first non-socialist government of 1976. In 1979 she was elected vice speaker of the Riksdag, a post she held until 1991 when, after the Moderate election victory, she was elected the first female speaker of the Swedish Riksdag.
She was a candidate for party leader in 1986 - after Ulf Adelsohn had resigned - but lost to Carl Bildt. Instead, she was elected deputy chairman - a position she held until 1993. .
