Royal decoration for Janneke Plantenga

During her official farewell from Utrecht University on Monday, September 18, professor and dean Janneke Plantenga was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau. Mayor Gerdo van Grootheest of her hometown of Culemborg presented her with the royal decoration after her farewell lecture. She received the award for her commitment to the socio-economic position of women and her commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Her farewell lecture was about the economics and politics surrounding childcare and was entitled 'De wet, het kind en de rekening' (The law, the child and the bill').

Plantenga has been affiliated with Utrecht University since 1985 and for the past eight years she has been dean of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance. After becoming professor by special appointment at the University of Groningen, Plantenga has been appointed professor of 'Economics of the Welfare State' at Utrecht University. She was also the first Diversity Dean of Utrecht University since 2020, a position to improve equality, diversity and inclusion at the university.

Expert on labour and inequality

In addition to regularly publishing scientific articles, Plantenga was asked by societal organistions and (national) bodies of government for her expertise. For example, she advised the parliamentary committee on Social Affairs and Employment on childcare. And she is regularly in the media when it comes to topics such as unequal pay, flexible employment relationships, the Dutch 'part-time clamp', childcare and labour market participation.