On 3 November 1973 she was made Minister of Aid within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Olof Palme.
She held the office until the Social Democrats lost the election in 1976.
When Olof Palme and the Social Democratic party came to power again on 8 October 1982, she was made Minister of Healthcare within the Ministry of Social Affairs.
In 1985 she succeeded Sten Andersson as Minister of Social Affairs and was made head of her own ministry.
She was married to the Norwegian Rolf Sigurdsen (1922–1972) between 1953 and 1960; together they had two sons Odd (born 1954) and Björn (born 1956).