The Netherlands Champion in Part-time Work

Women Among Highest Participants on the European Employment

Oct 22, 2009

Three out of four Dutch women work part-time. It is not because they are parents and cannot afford childcare. Older women and women without children do the same

In 2008, the Dutch employment participation rate was among the highest in the European Union (EU). In fact, the rate for Dutch men was the highest in the EU, the employment participation rate in the age category 50–65 years was also above the average EU level.

With 71 percent, the participation of Dutch women on the labour market was also high compared to most EU countries; only Denmark and Sweden achieved better results. Within the EU, 59 percent of women were working in paid jobs. But the Netherlands has the highest rate in part-time-work: 75% of working women have a part-time job.

This makes the Netherlands, in comparison with other European countries, the clear champion of part-time jobs. Not only do mothers with young children work part-time, but women without children do the same. This is according to a survey of the Social and Cultural Planbureau (SCP) taken in 2008.

Motherhood

The survey found that young women at the beginning of their career work half a day less than their male colleagues, and that older women work less too. So it clearly is not that women in the Netherlands are working part-time due to childcare needs. New career women and older women do not have that issue. Motherhood is not the reason for the part-time statistics.

Experts in the labour field, as well as feminists both believe that the mindset about motherhood and full-time work should change. In The Netherlands the family has been the cornerstone of the society for decades. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, indeed whole societies think that the mother is the primary person who should take care of her children.

However, in some countries, for example Sweden, there is no stigma to allow someone else to look after young children. In Holland it is generally accepted that women will work, but not at the expense of motherhood. Family remains an important issue for a Dutch woman.

Quit the Job

While this view is not typical of just the Dutch- because many countries have the same opinion about motherhood and working- but unlike the 75% of Dutch women that work part-time, only 40% of the German, French and Spanish women work those hours.

According to the SCP, in these countries, upcoming mothers have to chose between quitting their job or continuing full time and putting their child in daycare. For most, money is the reason why they decide to work full time. But if these other European mothers could have the same third option as their Dutch peers it may be that they would prefer working less hours. However, in Germany, France and Spain a part-time job is not a choice; at least not if you are a professional with a “real” job.

There is the potential argument that choosing between full time or no job is not the real issue. Because women in the Netherlands have the right, under government policy, to chose how many hours they want to work, their employer has the obligation to make the job available to her in a part-time setting.

Half a Job Means Half an Income

The downside is that half a job means half an income. Which can make women still financially dependent, and therefore not equal with opportunities available to men. And many feminist politicians believe that with women sitting at home, even part of the time, talent and knowledge is being wasted. Additionally there is also the belief that with part-time jobs women will never get to an executive level, because those jobs are nearly always full-time positions.

Many Dutch women prefer working part time, because they want to take care of their children or because they just don’t need the (extra) money. But part-time work doesn’t lead to promotions and senior management jobs, where most of the major decisions are being made about the future of the country.

Women being left out as company directors and also as policy makers in governmental institutions. some argue this could have future consequences for the next generation of women. But it also may be that for women in countries outside the Netherlands, Dutch women have the best of three worlds- the choice to not work at all, to work full time or to work part time. Further long-term studies may be necessary to see which prediction is true.

The copyright of the article The Netherlands Champion in Part-time Work in Netherlands is owned by Senay Ozdemir. Permission to republish The Netherlands Champion in Part-time Work in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.