Too noble for political games?
How the first female politicians in the Netherlands refused to be intimidated
At the beginning of the twentieth century, politics was considered a man’s world: a dirty business that women were considered too noble for. The first female politicians refused to be deterred by this prejudice. They saw the women’s right to vote as an opportunity to change laws and regulations and eliminate discrimination. After the introduction of passive suffrage, the right to be elected, in 1917 many stood for election to municipal councils, provincial councils or the States General. Margit van der Steen of the Huygens Institute researched these pioneers and wrote a book about them.
Image: Berendina Stoel-Nieuwhof (1878-1952) was elected on behalf of the SDAP as one of the first female members of the Zwolle municipal council. She sat on the committees for public nursery schools, child nutrition and housing. Photo from 1923. Collection of the Overijssel Historical Centre.
The front cover of her book ‘ware wonderdieren’ De eerste vrouwen in de Nederlandse politiek (1917-1927) features a group photo from 1924 showing female municipal councillors at a national training day organised by the SDAP (the forerunner of the PvdA). Margit van der Steen: ‘They learned the political handywork from aldermen, like how to read a budget. Party colleague Carry Pothuis-Smit, the first female senator, gave advice on public speaking. She noted that women should not immediately sit down after saying what needed to be said, but should engage in discussion.’
This does not mean that the first female politicians were docile. Margit van der Steen: ‘I was pleasantly surprised by how ambitious and determined these women were. They had to be, because standing as a candidate and holding your own in a political arena where you are not welcomed with open arms requires confidence and a willingness to fight.’
Overcoming resistance and prejudice
‘Intimidation and dirty tricks, what we now call a “socially unsafe working environment”, were what women had to deal with even then,’ says Margit van der Steen. ‘The difference between now and then is that female politicians no longer have to prove themselves. It is clear that women can be excellent councillors, ministers, alderwomen and mayors.’
Then the first female councillors had to contend with resistance and prejudice. Nevertheless, hundreds of women won seats in the various municipal elections from 1917 onwards. Margit van der Steen: ‘The first female politicians in the municipal councils, but also in the States General and Provincial Councils, were all elected by men.’
Women did not automatically vote for women
It was not until 1919 that women were granted general suffrage. Margit van der Steen said: ‘This turned out differently than many had hoped. Much to the disappointment of liberal female politicians in particular, the women’s right to vote resulted in gains for the confessional parties that had opposed women’s suffrage. Female voters did not necessarily vote for female candidates.’
Eiske ten Bos-Harkema (1885-1962) was the first female alderwoman in Gasselte, Groningen, representing the SDAP. She fought against poverty and unemployment and for more rights for workers. When she denounced the inappropriate behaviour of a police officer, she ended up in prison, not him.
A huge research task
Thanks to the large-scale digitisation of historical sources, information about the first women to sit on Dutch municipal councils has come to light. Margit van der Steen: ‘The 1919 election results were not recorded centrally, but were published in local newspapers. I was able to search these digitally via Delpher to find information about the elected councillors. Based on their names, I searched further via genealogical websites to find out who they were married to, how many children they had, and what their social background was.’
‘Because there were more than 1,000 municipalities at the time, this was a huge research task, a real labour of love. The intention is to make the data on the individual women available for further research via the Huygens Institute.’
What may seem like trivial issues often reflect a deeper political vision
The arrival of female politicians had an impact on the political agenda, concludes Margit van der Steen. Whether they were social democrats or liberals, women brought their own issues to the table. These included extending maternity leave and opening up the office of mayor to women. At the local level, councillors called for free milk and warm slippers in winter for poor children, maternity wards in hospitals, and better training and remuneration for midwives.
Margit van der Steen: ‘Such issues may seem trivial, but they raise an important political question: who is responsible for what? Is caring for the most vulnerable a matter of charity, or the responsibility of the municipality? Should women provide their own support during childbirth, or are communal facilities needed for this purpose? Many of the first female politicians were driven by the belief that this was a communal responsibility.’
Order the book
‘ware wonderdieren’ De eerste vrouwen in de Nederlandse politiek (1917-1927), Margit van der Steen (Uitgeverij Boom). Naar de website. The first copy was presented to Sheila Sitalsing, political commentator at de Volkskrant.
