Mei Li Vos was born on 31 March 1970 in Eindhoven,[1] the only sister among six siblings.

[1] Since 2000 she also worked part-time as a researcher at the think tank Infodrome, where she wrote a study on the information revolution and its effect on society.

Based on her work advising the Ministry of Economic Affairs she published a book on empowerment.

[3] In 2005 she was one of the founders of the Alternative for Trade Union (Alternatief voor Vakbond, AVV),[1] a trade union specifically oriented at young people, part-time employed, freelancers, with temporary work and people on a flexible contract.

[4] The union was founded as an alternative for the FNV, which was, according to AVV-founders too concerned with the interest of elderly workers.

She also worked for the Ministry of Justice as a researcher on the relationship between migration, integration and the welfare state.

[3] In 2006 she published a book "the workers' paradise" on the future of the welfare state, employment and labour.

In an interview, she called religion a human invention, but she said that she needed faith for contemplation and that she hoped that a higher power exists.