Mietje Hoitsema facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mietje Hoitsema
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Mietje Rutgers-Hoitsema at the International Congress of Women, Berlin, 1904
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| Born |
Maria Wilhelmina Hendrika Hoitsema
10 July 1847 Britsum, The Netherlands
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| Died | 25 October 1934 (aged 87) Rijswijk, The Netherlands
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| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation | Suffragist |
| Spouse(s) |
Johannes Rutgers
(m. 1885, died in) |
Maria Wilhelmina Hendrika "Mietje" Hoitsema (1847–1934) was a Dutch woman who worked hard for women's rights. She is known for being a suffragist, which means she fought for women to have the right to vote.
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About Mietje Hoitsema
Mietje Hoitsema was born on July 10, 1847, in a place called Britsum in the Netherlands. Her father, Synco Hoitsema, was a theologian, which is someone who studies religion. Her mother was Rika van Bolhuis.
Early Life and Education
Mietje became a teacher in 1865. She later became the principal of a girls' school. She led this school from 1873 to 1885. In 1885, she married a doctor named Johannes Rutgers.
Later Years
In 1913, Mietje was in a car accident. After this, she slowly started to step back from her public work. By 1918, she had mostly retired from public life. Mietje Hoitsema passed away on October 25, 1934, in Rijswijk, another town in the Netherlands.
Fighting for Rights
Mietje Hoitsema was a very active person who believed in fairness for everyone. She spent much of her life working to improve the lives of women and families.
Leading the Way for Women's Vote
In 1894, Mietje Hoitsema became the leader of the Rotterdam branch of the Dutch women's suffrage union. This group was called the "Vereeniging voor Vrouwenkiesrecht." Their main goal was to get women the right to vote.
Starting New Organizations
Mietje didn't stop there. She also started several other groups to help people:
- In 1895, she founded an association to support the rights of women, children, and working families.
- In 1898, she created a group to help unmarried mothers.
- In 1903, she started an association focused on the rights of women in professional jobs.
Working with Political Parties
Around the year 1900, Mietje Hoitsema joined a political party called the Sociaal Democratische Arbeiders Partij (SDAP). This was the Social Democratic Workers' Party. However, she left the party in 1905. She felt that the party was focusing more on differences between social classes than on gender equality. Also, the party stopped actively supporting women's voting rights, which was very important to Mietje.
