Edith holds a master’s degree in political science from Leiden University, The Netherlands. She started her career as a policy advisor for the liberal political party in the House of Representatives in the Netherlands focusing on health care, after which she worked for business and employers’ organization VNO-NCW with health care and labor markets in her portfolio. Edith was elected as a member into the House of Representatives in 2003, after which she became Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports in 2010. In 2017 she announced she would not return to a new cabinet.