Femke Halsema
A left-wing firebrand turned pragmatic mayor, she governs Amsterdam with a blend of radical idealism and street-level realism.
Born 1966 (age 60)·Dutch politician and filmmaker·Birthday: April 25·Generation X
Biography
Femke Halsema’s path to power was anything but conventional. Emerging from the Dutch leftist green party GroenLinks, she spent over a decade in parliament as a sharp-tongued opposition leader, known for her intellectual rigor and fierce critiques of immigration policy and social inequality. In 2011, she walked away from national politics, a move that seemed to end her public career. She turned to documentary filmmaking, exploring themes of urban life and social justice. This detour, however, refined her perspective. In 2018, she returned, not as a party politician but as a candidate for Mayor of Amsterdam. Her election broke a centuries-old male monopoly, making her the first woman elected to the role. As mayor, she has navigated the city through crises like the pandemic, championed a ‘doughnut’ economic model for sustainability, and taken a notably soft approach to managing the city's famed red-light district and cannabis culture, aiming to balance progressive values with the gritty realities of running a major European capital.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Femke was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Femke Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Femke's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Elected as the first woman to serve as Mayor of Amsterdam on a non-interim basis in 2018.
- Served as the parliamentary leader of GroenLinks, shaping the Dutch left's agenda from 2002 to 2010.
- Authored several political books and produced documentaries on social issues after leaving parliament.
- Oversaw Amsterdam's adoption of Kate Raworth's 'doughnut economics' model as city policy in 2020.
Did You Know?
She is a direct descendant of the 17th-century painter Frans Hals.
Before politics, she worked as a researcher for the Wiardi Beckman Foundation, the scientific bureau of the Dutch Labour Party.
She publicly came out as bisexual in a 2019 interview, discussing her relationship with a woman.
Her 2007 documentary 'Halsema’s Holland' explored the lives of ordinary Dutch citizens.
““I am not a manager of the status quo. I am a politician who wants to change things.””
