Dutch Women's Council ( nl, italic=no, Nederlandse Vrouwen Raad (NVR)) was founded in 1898 as an

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

to unite women's groups across the country in their struggles for economic, legal, political, and social rights. Initially their focus was not political, but expanded to encompass

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. After more than one hundred years of operation, the council continues to strive for women's equality.

History

Soon after the National Exhibition of Women's Labor Nationale Tentoonstelling van Vrouwenarbeid 1898, (nl) was held, the board members of the exhibition decided that an umbrella organization called the National Women's Council of the Netherlands ( nl, italic=no, Nationale Vrouwenraad van Nederland) would be beneficial for uniting women in the improvement of their legal, political and socio-economic status in the country. On 29 October 1898 the organization was founded with the first chairman designated as

Mariane van Hogendorp jkvr. Mariane Catherine van Hogendorp (August 8, 1834, The Hague – September 17, 1909, Lausanne), a member of the Van Hogendorp family, was a Dutch feminist. She founded the ' (Dutch Women's Union to Increase Moral Consciousness). Life Hog ...

and was affiliated with the

International Council of Women The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's rights organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington, D.C., with ...

. The NVR membership was neither tied to political ideology or religious affiliation, which meant that debate on various points of view were welcomed, but also at times made members uncomfortable as their particular customs or practices had to be set aside for the advancement of the whole group. The council had a requirement that all affiliated associations, companies, or organizations have at least one woman who was a member of their governing board. To ensure that no single organization could dominate the other members, the bylaws specified that all decisions had to be unanimous. It was also hoped that such a rule would cause the women to discuss and eliminate issues which were divisive. Among the issues the Council focused upon initially were equal education for girls and boys, the inclusion of women in employment opportunities, health and sanitation legislation, illegitimacy, loss of women's autonomy upon marriage, prostitution, alcoholism, and other social ills. Initially,

was not an area in which the women focused; however, increasing involvement of several members like

Aletta Jacobs Aletta Henriëtte Jacobs (; 9 February 1854 – 10 August 1929) was a Dutch physician and women's suffrage activist. As the first woman officially to attend a Dutch university, she became one of the first female physicians in the Netherlands. I ...

with international suffragists like

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca ...

and

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...

, led the NVT to begin pressing for political rights.

Modern organization

In 1972 the National Women's Council was reorganized to become the Dutch Women's Council and throughout the 1980s a corporate structure was adopted changing focus to a more economic focus. By the end of the 1980s, the organization faced a crisis because the Ministry of Welfare, Public Health and Culture saw no need to channel funds into an umbrella organization with such broad reach. That decision in turn, led to a split in the organization in 1992, with one branch retaining the name Dutch Women's Council and the other new organization, Arachne Women's Advice Bureau for Government Policy, being developed to evaluate women's policy issues. Social Participation and Rights of Women remain the goals of the organization, which has approximately 50 affiliated organizations. The organization's archival materials are located at the

Atria Institute on gender equality and women's history Atria, institute on gender equality and women's history is a public library and research institute in Amsterdam dedicated to research and policy advice on gender equality and to the documentation and archival of women's history. Its previous names ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{Authority control 1898 establishments in the Netherlands Feminist organisations in the Netherlands Women's suffrage in the Netherlands