Politicians

Lizzy van Dorp enrolled at Leiden University in 1893 to study Literature. But the ambitious student changed path and became the first woman in the Netherlands to study law.

Lizzy van Dorp enrolled at Leiden University in 1893 to study letterkunde (literature). But the ambitious student changed path and became the first woman in the Netherlands to study law. As a feminist, she stood up against the disapproval of some professors and became the first chairwoman of the Association of Female Students in Leiden (VVSL).

In 1903 she obtained her doctorate, went on to open her own law firm in The Hague and became active in the Association for Women's Suffrage. In 1915, she turned her back to the legal profession to focus on economics. She became editor of the magazine De Economist alongside five men and taught economics at the Utrecht Law Faculty from 1919 to 1922. She was also involved in political life, and was member of the Liberal State Party.

On July 7 1903, Lizzy van Dorp obtained her doctorate, supervised by Prof. J. Oppenheim, for her thesis Compensation for Destruction or Disabling of Property by the Public Authorities. She argued for a labour ban for married women, provided they could have a part of the wages of their husbands. This proposition was a prelude to the autonomous positions she would defend throughout her life in the women's movement.