Hedy d'Ancona

Hedwig "Hedy" d'Ancona (born 1 October 1937) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and political activist.

d'Ancona applied at the University of Amsterdam in June 1956 majoring in Sociology and obtaining a Bachelor of Social Science degree in June 1958 before graduating with a Master of Social Science degree in July 1962. d'Ancona worked as a television producer for the VARA 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 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 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 chairing the parliamentary committee for Housing and Spatial Planning and parliamentary committee for Culture, Recreation and Social Work and spokesperson for Emancipation and Gender equality. 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 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, Emancipation, Gender equality and Abortion. 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 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. 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.

Education and academic career
Hedwig d'Ancona was born in The Hague in the Netherlands 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. She also served in the European Parliament and in the first chamber of the Dutch parliament, for the Labour Party.

d'Ancona was a lijstduwer on the shared GroenLinks–PvdA list in the June 2024 European Parliament election. She received enough preference votes to be elected, but she declined her seat.

Private sector
Outside of government, she is known for starting the feminist monthly Opzij as well as the special interest lobbying group, Man-Vrouw-Maatschappij (Man-Woman-Society), which she co-founded with Joke Smit. d'Ancona gave the 2015 Mosse Lecture, 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 Netherlands), serving also as Vice-Chairman of Oxfam International during part of her tenure.

Career

 * 1962 - 1965: TV-producer for the VARA
 * 1965 - 1975: Researcher in social geography at the University of Amsterdam
 * 1974 - 1981: Member of the first chamber of Dutch parliament, 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
 * September 1981 - May 1982: Secretary of State, Ministry of Welfare and Employment
 * August 1982 - September 1983: Member of Parliament
 * 1984-1989: Member of the European Parliament
 * 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 Opzij she started. In 1994, she was named as a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. In 2002, she won the Aletta Jacobsprijs, a women's emancipation prize awarded by University of Groningen every two years.