In 2017, 71% of the Dutch House of Representatives was male. Devika Partiman felt that had to change. Especially after the sexist campaign with which Trump won the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton. She founded Stem op een Vrouw with the ambition of getting more women into the House of Representatives. And it caught on. In the first parliamentary elections after its founding in 2017, three additional women entered the House thanks to preferential votes. With every election, that number has grown, and the share of women in municipal councils is increasing as well.

The organization is best known for its voting campaigns, but from their office in A Lab, Stem op een Vrouw does much more. Aspiring female politicians are guided by a mentorship network of experienced (former) politicians. There are training sessions, research projects, and, through a national working group on safety, the organization is working toward a safer political environment.

In doing so, Stem op een Vrouw strives to ensure that girls and women see themselves represented in politics. And that they view politics as something they can be a part of, too. Because when politics better reflects society, issues that affect women and girls are placed more firmly on the agenda. In her book Stem op een Vrouw she outlines the history of women's emancipation through politics, takes a stand against resistance, and poses the question: we are slowly heading in the right direction, but where do we go from here?

You can find Stem op een Vrouw on the second floor of A Lab, a hub where over 350 creative pioneers work on art & culture, sustainability, and social impact. In this video series, you will meet the makers, thinkers, and doers in our building. Curious about more stories and pioneers? Explore the community at a-lab.nl/stories.
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Video created by: O. Wat. Een. Verhaal #inalab

Interested in working among the creative pioneers at A Lab? Get in touch with Noa (noa@a-lab.nl).