Gezina Hermina Johanna van der Molen initiated her academic trajectory at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 1924, becoming the institution's inaugural female law student. Her professional life spanned the disciplines of law, journalism, and education, marked by a commitment to human rights and international advocacy that defined her career within the Kingdom of the Netherlands throughout the twentieth century.
Academic Milestones
During her tenure at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Molen broke institutional barriers for women in higher education. Between 1924 and 1929, she pursued her legal studies, ultimately achieving the distinction of being the first woman to earn a doctoral degree from that university. Her academic focus eventually culminated in scholarly contributions to international jurisprudence, specifically her 1968 publication, Alberto Gentili and the Development of International Law. His Life Work and Times.
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Following her academic formation, van der Molen applied her legal expertise to various global and domestic issues. Her professional output as a journalist and jurist addressed significant political and social subjects, including the status of women, the complexities of the South Moluccas, the political situation in New Guinea, and the institutionalization of apartheid in South Africa. Her work often intersected with the evolving mandates of the United Nations.
Wartime Resistance and Recognition
During the Second World War, van der Molen participated in the Dutch resistance movement. Her actions during this period, which involved the preservation of Jewish lives under the occupation, led to her formal recognition by Yad Vashem. In 1998, she was posthumously designated as Righteous Among the Nations, an honor reserved for non-Jewish individuals who risked their safety to assist victims of the Holocaust.
Teaching Career
Van der Molen maintained a long-standing professional relationship with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She served as a university teacher at the institution during three distinct periods: from 1946 to 1949, 1949 to 1958, and finally from 1958 to 1962.
Fast facts
- Born: 1892, Baflo
- Died: 1978, Aerdenhout
- Nationality: Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Primary Education: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Occupations: Jurist, resistance fighter, university teacher, journalist
- Award: Righteous Among the Nations (1998)
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Gezina van der Molen research?
She studied and wrote on international law, women's rights, apartheid in South Africa, and the status of New Guinea and the South Moluccas.
Was she affiliated with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam?
Yes, she was the university's first female law student and served as a teacher there between 1946 and 1962.
Achievements
- Righteous Among the Nations — 1998
- Worked as journalist, jurist and university teacher
- Educated at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
