Maria Ulfah Santoso

Maria Ulfah Santoso was a pioneer of women's emancipation and journalism in Indonesia. She was born in Serang, Banten, in 1911, where she learned to read and write in Arabic, Jawi, and Latin scripts from her father, who was a politician and a member of the Volksraad. She was interested in teaching girls and women skills beyond their household duties, such as crafts, reading, and writing. She married R. Santoso Wirodihardjo, a notary public, in 1938, who supported her efforts in education and journalism. She started writing for Poetri Indonesia, a women's newspaper published by Tirto Adhi Soerjo, another national hero and the father of Indonesian journalism, in 1938. After Poetri Indonesia was banned by the Dutch colonial government, she founded Soenting Melajoe, a weekly newspaper for women and edited by women, in 1942. She served as the chief editor until 1945 and continued to write for various publications until the 1960s. She also established several private schools for girls, such as Kerajinan Amai Setia in Jakarta in 1939 and the Maria Ulfah School in Yogyakarta in 1946. She advocated for girls' schooling, women's rights, and social justice in her writings and activities. She was a member of the Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence, and later became the Minister of Social Affairs under Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir from March 1946 to June 1947. She was the first Indonesian woman to receive a degree in law from Leiden University in 1933, as well as the first female Indonesian cabinet member. After her term, she continued to work with the government in various capacities, such as the head of the Indonesian delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 1950 and 1952, and the head of the Indonesian Red Cross from 1959 to 1965. She married Soebadio Sastrosatomo, a former minister and diplomat, in 1964, and adopted a son. She died in Jakarta in 1988 due to illness and was buried at the Karet Bivak Cemetery. She was recognized as a national hero by President Joko Widodo in 2019.