Women of Amsterdam. from fishwives to womens lib

Culture and History tour in Amsterdam

Tour Price : €100-200 Duration : 1-2 hours Languages: Dutch, English, German Discount: 10% discount already factored in.

Nuns, Fishwives, Housewives and Whores. We offer an exciting tour of the history of women’s role in the development of Amsterdam. In this guided city tour, we focus on the high life and low life of women of all ages and description. Mentioning events, historical facts and individual life stories. 

This tour is different, in that it only focuses on women. There is a relatively important role of women in Dutch society as they had much more freedom and leeway than those in Italy, Spain and elsewhere. We trace their contributions, and offer a look into their diverse and changing roles throughout history.

Some diaries and letters have survived to this day, which offer a glimpse into the lives of women during different eras. In the early modern city, fishwives in Amsterdam became loud street sellers.  Their aggressiveness, assertiveness and visibility in the public sphere began to change the role of women in Dutch society. 

Later on more women entered more professions, and became sellers of fashion and pottery or second-hand clothes or low quality meats. Others were employed as maids in the homes of wealthy families and spent their lives scrubbing floors and serving others. Many women were immersed in the sex industry. The dark side of history exists alongside cultural growth and development, and some women engaged in crime and murder.

The question of social oppression came out in full force with the feminist movement of the 1960-1970's , which has strong roots in Amsterdam. From fishwives, maids, criminals, sex workers, and ultimately to feminists striving for emancipation, the history of the women of Amsterdam is a unique blend of constant change and diversity. What was common to all was the enjoyment of a higher degree of visibility in the public sphere not enjoyed by women in other European countries. 

Tour prices may vary according to number of hours, starting point and group size. Children are very welcome, by the way. I usually take groups with 2 to 10 persons. Extra cost: perhaps tram or bus tickets. Museum tickets.

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