The Petroleum Women’s Club of The Hague was started in 1983 when a group of women whose husbands were employed in the petroleum industry thought it would be a good idea to create an association ‘to promote social contact between the wives’. Things were quite formal in those days with grand evening balls and outings planned well in advance, before the age of the smartphone and Facebook.

How times have changed since 1983!

Gone are a lot of the formalities – we are now a more vibrant social club and although the majority of our members are spouses, partners or employees of those in the petroleum and energy sector, in recent years the club has opened its membership to all women living in and around The Hague.

We have members from 15 different nationalities around the world, most of whom have lived as expats at some point in their lives and who enjoy meeting new people while sharing the ups and downs of living in a new city and discovering the many historical, cultural and artistic wonders The Netherlands has to offer.

But it’s not just fun that we have. The Club also assists and supports a local charity – Perspektief – which provides protection and a safe house for abused partners (mostly women and their children) while helping them rebuild their lives.

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