Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan: ‘What can we learn from Aletta Jacobs? Stand firm and persevere’

Last year, when Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan heard that she would be awarded the University of Groningen (UG) Aletta Jacobs Prize on 6 March 2026, she wondered whether it was really true. ‘That was indeed the case, and I must admit that for a few seconds there in my office, I was walking on air. Only afterwards did I realize what an incredible honour and responsibility it is to receive this prize.’

^{Text: Marjan Brouwers / Photo: National Government}

Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan, who became Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning one week ago, worked for the Ministry of Defence for the past 32 years and is the first woman in the Dutch armed forces to have climbed to the rank of lieutenant general. She wrote the book Gewapend met gevoel (English version: Armed with Sensitivity) about her work for the Ministry of Defence. The jury of the Aletta Jacobs Prize marvelled at the way in which she is able to hold her own as a woman in a man’s world. In addition, in this case, the jury chose to break from the tradition that the prizewinner must have a traditional academic background. President of the jury Marie-José van Tol: ‘Considering Boekholt-O’Sullivan’s exceptional accomplishments, we found that this awarding criterion should not stand in the way.’

Flak jackets and shoes for women

Over the course of her career, Boekholt-O’Sullivan has succeeded in making the Ministry of Defence more women-friendly and more inclusive. For example, she advocated for flak jackets, rucksacks, shoes, and uniforms designed for women. These were by no means luxuries, as female members of the armed forces had previously incurred injuries because their equipment had been designed for the standard male body. She also worked hard to make the career policy within the Ministry more inclusive. As she writes in her book, the Ministry of Defence must also make space for softer voices and outsiders.

Inspiring role model

Initially, Boekholt-O’Sullivan felt uncomfortable being looked up to as an inspiring role model. For example, she found it hard to stand on stage last year when she was announced ‘Topvrouw van het Jaar’ (Woman of the Year). Since then, however, she has grasped the importance of this role. ‘I only fully realized it when I saw how women looked at me. Since then, I’ve been aware that I’m not worth my salt if I don’t dare to stick my neck out when it comes to difficult topics, such as making women’s physical and social lives safer and more equal. The wonderful thing is that the Ministry of Defence has embraced this topic and that work has been done on it.’

Stand firm

She finds it important that women speak out if they need something in order to do their work well. ‘Don’t think that if you do so, you’ll no longer be “one of the guys”, but rather state what needs to change. Not in an angry or stubborn way, but clearly. Or with a wink. I’ve often landed in situations that weren’t exactly inviting for a woman. For example, I was once transferred at sea to a British ship crewed entirely by men. They hadn’t expected a woman, so nothing had been arranged for me. In such a situation, you could get angry or leave, but that wouldn’t achieve anything. I stayed and ensured that I could do my work well. I stood firm. That is a piece of advice that I often give women. Stand firm and state what needs to change. Just like Aletta Jacobs did when she heard that girls weren’t allowed to study. She stood firm and persevered. That’s why she’s such a great source of inspiration. We can all learn a lot from her example.’

Aletta action

Boekholt-O’Sullivan is dedicating the Aletta Jacobs Prize to all women who have felt unsafe or been a victim of violence. ‘It’s actually remarkably sad that we still need to draw attention to women’s safety. But when you look at the figures on femicide, at women who do not feel safe even in shelters, and at all the girls and women who have had a distressing experience at some point in their lives, you realize why it is unfortunately still necessary. This necessity has led to the ‘Actie Aletta’ (Aletta action), a lecture tour around 16 university cities with the objective of talking to students, mayors, and experts about promoting women’s freedom and safety and generating ideas for preventing unsafe situations, aggression, and violence towards women. Each city is taking its own approach to this. The Aletta action is an initiative of the Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG), the ‘Regeringscommissaris seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag en seksueel geweld’ (government commissioner for combatting sexual misconduct and sexual violence), and the ‘Wij eisen de nacht op’ (We Claim the Night) campaign, among other parties.

To the Cabinet

At the end of February, Boekholt-O’Sullivan joined the Dutch Cabinet as Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning, a role in which she continues to engage in and promote women’s safety. ‘The topic isn’t in my own remit, but of course I can support the Minister who is working on it.’

Let’s get to work

The question of whether she would consider joining the Cabinet came unexpectedly. ‘At that moment, three questions ran through my mind: Do I consider myself credible to work in this field? Am I passionate about the subject? And are the people who work in this field happy for me to take on this task? My answer to all three was a wholehearted “yes”. In addition, I have faith that I can still be myself as a public figure and can therefore effectively get to work on the task at hand. So, I set my discomfort aside and said: “Yes, let’s get to work.”’

This interview with Boekholt-O’Sullivan took place in February, when she was still working for the Ministry of Defence.

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More information

• UG awards Aletta Jacobs Prize to Minister Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan
• Website the Aletta Jacobs Prize