Hedwig "Hedy" d'Ancona (; born 1 October 1937) is a retired

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and political activist. d'Ancona applied at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

in June 1956 majoring in

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

and obtaining a

Bachelor of Social Science The academic undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Social Science (BSS, B.Soc.Sc., or B.Soc.Sci.) requires three to four years of study in the social sciences at an institution of higher education, primarily found in the Commonwealth of Nations. I ...

degree in June 1958 before graduating with a

Master of Social Science A Master of Social Science (MSocSc, MSSc or MSS) is a master's degree which has a number of different meanings dependent upon the education system in question. Europe In Finland and Sweden, where the university degree nomenclatura is simply bas ...

degree in July 1962. d'Ancona worked as a television producer for the ''

VARA Vara or VARA may refer to: Geography *Vara (river), in Liguria, Italy * Vara Parish, former municipality in Tartu County, Estonia * Vara, Estonia, village in Peipsiääre Parish, Tartu County, Estonia * Vara Municipality, municipality in western S ...

'' from November 1962 until September 1965 and as a researcher at the University of Amsterdam from September 1965 until November 1972. d'Ancona also worked as a political activist in the

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

movement and co-founded the feminist action group Man Woman Society in October 1968. d'Ancona worked as editor-in-chief of the feminist magazine ''

Opzij ''Opzij'' is a mainstream Dutch feminist monthly magazine. The title means "out of the way!"Cas Wouters, "Changes in the 'Lust Balance' of Sex and Love since the Sexual Revolution: The Example of the Netherlands," in History and profile ''Opzij ...

'' from November 1972 until September 1981. d'Ancona was elected as a Member of the Senate after the Senate election of 1974, taking office on 17 September 1974 serving as a

frontbencher In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then kn ...

chairing the parliamentary committee for Housing and Spatial Planning and parliamentary committee for Culture, Recreation and Social Work and

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

for

Emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranch ...

and

Gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

. After the election of 1981 d'Ancona was appointed as State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment in the Cabinet Van Agt II, taking office on 11 September 1981. The Cabinet Van Agt II fell just seven months into its term on 12 May 1982 and continued to serve in a demissionary capacity until the first cabinet formation of 1982 when it was replaced by the

caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker'' * '' The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital * Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' ...

Cabinet Van Agt III on 29 May 1982 and she subsequently returned as a Member of the Senate following the resignation of Clovis Cnoop Koopmans, taking office on 31 August 1982 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for

Health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

, Emancipation, Gender equality and

Abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

. In June 1983 d'Ancona announced that she wouldn't stand for the Senate election of 1983 and continued to serve until the end of the parliamentary term on 13 September 1983. d'Ancona Rooy was elected as a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

after the European Parliament election of 1984, taking office on 24 July 1984. After the election of 1989 d'Ancona was appointed as Minister of Welfare, Health and Culture in the Cabinet Lubbers III, taking office on 7 November 1989. In April 1994 d'Ancona announced that she wouldn't stand for the election of 1994 but wanted tot return to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

. On 16 July 1994 d'Ancona resigned as Minister of Welfare, Health and Culture after she was elected again as a Member of the European Parliament, serving from 19 July 1994 until 20 July 1999.

Biography

Education and academic career

Hedwig d'Ancona was born in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on 1 October 1937.

Politics

From 1989 to 1994 she was the Minister of Health, Welfare and Culture (presently known as the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport as the responsibility for culture was transferred to the reorganized Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in 1994). She acted as State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment for issues concerning

women's liberation The women's liberation movement (WLM) was a political alignment of women and feminist intellectualism that emerged in the late 1960s and continued into the 1980s primarily in the industrialized nations of the Western world, which effected great ...

. She also served in the

and in the first chamber of the

Dutch parliament The States General of the Netherlands ( nl, Staten-Generaal ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The States ...

, for the Labour Party.

Private sector

Outside of government, she is known for starting the feminist monthly

as well as the special interest lobbying group, ''Man-Vrouw-Maatschappij'' (''Man-Woman-Society''), which she co-founded with

Joke Smit Johanna Elisabeth "Joke" Smit (27 August 1933 – 19 September 1981) was a well-known Dutch feminist and politician in the 1970s. Personal life Smit grew up in a reformed family of six children in Vianen. Her father was a teacher. She ...

. d'Ancona gave the 2015

Mosse Lecture The Foundation George Mosse Fund of the University of Amsterdam (Stichting George Mosse Fonds van de Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a Dutch foundation (stichting) that aims to promote gay and lesbian studies. It was founded in 2001 at the Univer ...

, titled ''Voorbij de M/V-maatschappij?'' (''Beyond the M/F society?'').

Oxfam

From April 1995 through June 2004, d'Ancona was Chairwoman of

Oxfam Novib Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford C ...

(Oxfam Netherlands), serving also as Vice-Chairman of

Oxfam International Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

during part of her tenure.

Career

*1962 - 1965: TV-producer for the

*1965 - 1975: Researcher in social geography at the

*1974 - 1981: Member of the first chamber of

, for the Labour Party. *1975 - 1981: Director of ''Centrum Beleidsadviserend Onderzoek'' (Cebeon), a company that offers research-based advice to government and non-profit organisations, with

Maurice de Hond Maurice de Hond (born 8 October 1947) is a Dutch pollster, accused of defamation and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the Steve JobsSchool, an elementary school which gives each student an iPad to encourage individualized learning. As of 2016, ...

*September 1981 - May 1982: Secretary of State, Ministry of Welfare and Employment *August 1982 - September 1983: Member of Parliament *1984-1989: Member of the

*1989-1994: Minister of Welfare, Health and Culture *1994-1999: Member of European Parliament

Honors

In 1992, Hedy d'Ancona was awarded the Harriet Freezerring, a women's liberation prize, by the monthly ''

'' she started. In 1994, she was named as a Knight of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...

. In 2002, she won the ''Aletta Jacobsprijs'', a women's emancipation prize awarded by

University of Groningen The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. Founded in 1614, the university is th ...

every two years.

Decorations

References

External links

*
Drs. H. (Hedy) d' Ancona
Parlement & Politiek *
Drs. H. d' Ancona (PvdA)
Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal {{DEFAULTSORT:Ancona, Hedy d' 1937 births Living people Anti-domestic violence activists Anti-globalization activists Dutch anti-poverty advocates Commanders of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Dutch feminists Dutch humanitarians Women humanitarians Dutch human rights activists Women human rights activists Dutch geographers Dutch Jews Dutch lobbyists Dutch magazine editors Dutch nonprofit directors Dutch nonprofit executives Dutch people of German-Jewish descent Dutch political writers Dutch sociologists Dutch women sociologists Dutch television producers Dutch women's rights activists Jewish Dutch politicians Jewish Dutch writers Labour Party (Netherlands) MEPs Labour Party (Netherlands) politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Netherlands) Members of the Senate (Netherlands) MEPs for the Netherlands 1984–1989 MEPs for the Netherlands 1989–1994 MEPs for the Netherlands 1994–1999 20th-century women MEPs for the Netherlands Ministers of Health of the Netherlands Ministers of Sport of the Netherlands Oxfam people Politicians from Amsterdam Politicians from The Hague Social geographers Dutch socialist feminists State Secretaries for Social Affairs of the Netherlands University of Amsterdam alumni Academic staff of the University of Amsterdam Women government ministers of the Netherlands Dutch women television producers Writers from Amsterdam Writers from The Hague 20th-century Dutch journalists Dutch women journalists 20th-century Dutch politicians 20th-century Dutch women writers 21st-century Dutch women writers