Joke Smit

Johanna Elisabeth "Joke" Smit (27 August 1933 – 19 September 1981) was a well-known Dutch feminist and politician in the 1970s.

She attended the Christelijk Gymnasium Utrecht and later studied French language and literature at the University of Amsterdam.

In 1962, she worked a year in Paris as a freelance journalist, writing articles for the Dutch newspapers NRC and Het Parool.

Together with Hedy d'Ancona, Smit founded the feminist organization Man Vrouw Maatschappij (MVM) in 1968.

For instance, she argued that both men and women should work thirty hours a week to earn a living, which would consequently enable a division of a number of unpaid family- and household tasks between spouses.

Feminist magazine Opzij republished Smit's essay Het onbehagen bij de vrouw in their 2007 special edition.