Portal:Indonesia/Selected biography/1

Maria Ulfah Santoso (1911–88) was an Indonesian women's rights activist and politician. The daughter of a politician, she became interested in women's rights after seeing numerous injustices in her youth. She graduated with a degree in law from Leiden University in 1933; while in the Netherlands she also became involved in the Indonesian nationalist movement. Upon returning to the Dutch East Indies, Santoso began teaching and working towards marriage reform. She was a member of the Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence, and later became the Social Minister. Chosen for the cabinet post in part for her emancipatory activities, Santoso paved the way for other female cabinet members. After her term, she continued to work with the government in various capacities. (Read more...)