Get to know these 5 inspiring Dutch women of history
March is the month of International Women’s Day (March 8th), but also Women’s History Month in the US. We at OLS wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on some amazing women that shaped Dutch history. One of which is Anne Frank that we already covered in a previous blog post, but there are more fantastic women to celebrate. Let’s dig in:
1. Anna Maria van Schurman (1607 – 1678)
This amazing woman was the very first female university
student in the Netherlands and, if the records are correct, she was even the
first female university student in Europe. She did have to deal with some
difficulties though; in class she had to hide behind a curtain, so she wouldn’t
‘distract’ the men in the classroom. Can you image?
But she
didn’t let it stop her from achieving greatness; she became a well-renowned
poet, scholar and painter. Next to that, she learnt to speak 14(!) languages,
including Latin, Greek, Arabic and Hebrew.
2. Cornelia ‘Corrie’ ten Boom (1892 – 1983)
Corrie was a real weapon of Dutch resistance in the second world war. She is credited to have saved around 800 (!) Jews in the war thanks to her courageous work in the Dutch resistance. After having saved so many lives, she was unfortunately caught by the Nazi’s and sent to a concentration camp. Luckily due her life was saved to a clerical error she was released while other women in the camp were sent to their death a year later.
3. Aletta Jacobs (1854 – 1929)
Although she wasn’t the first university student in the Netherlands, she was the first Dutch female to complete a degree in medicine and become a doctor. Next to this achievement she was also an important voice for women’s rights and became the leader of the International Women Suffrage Alliance. With her work as the leader of this organisation she helped lead the women of the Netherlands to secure the right to vote 1919.
4. Cornélie ‘Corry’ Tendeloo (1897 – 1956)
Although she was born in Indonesia, Corry moved to the Netherlands when she was a child. With her a big heart for equality and justice it was not surprising that she became a lawyer, and ultimately an influential politician. She was a fierce advocate for equal pay for men and women and fought tirelessly for the right of women to fulfil the same functions as men in the workforce. However, she is most known for her pivotal role in the abolition of the law stating that married women could no longer work. Sadly, she passed away of cancer a year before the law actually passed in 1959.
5. Jannetje Johanna ‘Hannie’ Schaft (1920 – 1945)
Hannie is the second resistance fighter of the second world war on this list, but she may actually be the most ‘famous’ one we know. She was known as ‘the girl with red hair’ and was on the most-wanted list of the Nazi’s for a long time. Why? She helped Jewish families with stolen food coupons and identity documents. But she is most known for her assassin attacks on Germans, collaborators and traitors in the war. With this her reputation varied from her being a ‘war-hero’ to her being a ‘vicious assassin’, dependent on which side you were on.
Eventually, she was held captive
by the Nazis’ to be killed. When the day of her assassination came the first
shot merely grazed her, giving her the space for one final act of resistance to
the Nazi’s, the story goes that she mocked “I shoot better!” (i.e., “Ik schiet
beter!”) before receiving her fatal shot.
-
That’s the list of at least five influential women of history that you really
should know about. There are of course many more inspiring women with
incredible stories, so if you would like a ‘part two’ just let us know.
Let’s discuss
What do you think of these stories? Is one woman on the list particularly inspiring to you? And why? I would also love to know if you know of any other women we should all know about? You can let us know your thoughts in this post on the forum: https://academy.europa.eu/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=10800