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Traditional family alive and wellTuesday 11 November 2008 The traditional family where the man works full-time and the woman has a part-time job to pay for extras is alive and well in the Netherlands, according to a new report by the government’s social policy unit SCP. The report shows that only 7% of Dutch women with a part-time job would like to work full-time and only one-third work because they need money. Only 41% of women with part-time jobs have children under the age of 11. Women choose to work part-time so that it is easier to care for children, enjoy their hobbies, maintain social contacts and keep fit, the survey shows. ‘Women therefore take on the lion’s share of the household duties and childcare,’ the report says. But 40% of young women without children also work part-time, and only 16% of them would like a full-time job, the survey shows. It points out that the government has actively stimulated the development of part-time jobs since the 1980s. Some 75% of women with jobs in the Netherlands work less than 35 hours a week, the highest percentage in Europe. Many of the women are not interested in the money or status a career brings, the survey shows. Most feel that being recognised as good at their jobs and having nice colleagues is more important. Minister shocked The results of the survey have shocked Ronald Plasterk, the minister with special responsibility for women’s issues, and Pia Dijkstra, who chairs the government commission on boosting women’s working hours. The AD newspaper reports that Plasterk and Dijkstra blame mothers and mothers-in-law for talking young women into working less. ‘They think their daughters and daughters-in-law have a hard time and say ‘do you really want to do that, dearie?’ the paper quotes the minister as saying. ‘Women are not sufficiently aware that … one in three marriages breaks down and they will end up without income or pension,’ says Plasterk. He says the current situation means a great deal of female talent is being wasted. ‘In many areas there are more women graduates than men. But look who gets to the top, look who becomes professor. There are so few women,’ the AD quotes him as saying. Should women in Holland work longer hours? To take part in our poll, click here. © DutchNews.nl Get the DutchNews.nl newsletter in your mailbox: Click here to subscribe
Only if they want to and men would want to pick up the slack in housecleaning, shopping (not really too bad a responsibility, spending money rather than the trade-off of cleaning the toilet), taking care of the kids, etc. I've worked full time, been a housewife full time (and a full time job if done properly) and done both at the same time (single mom). During the time I was doing both at once, I would have loved to have a man come along, bring in a part time income and take over nearly all of the housework, cooking, laundry, running errands, etc. Unfortunately here, as well as in America (where I'm from) whether working full or part time, the women (no guys, not in ALL cases!) generally pick up the major portion of the household duties. By Cathy | November 11, 2008 11:40 AM Hang on a minute! In this country most men only work 4 days a week and I'm talking about men working in the Financial and Consulting industry. It's unbelievable that in this day and age a 4 day week can be considered full time... it's not!! That is part time. By LS | November 11, 2008 2:15 PM On the same day, I read in your newsletter, two contradictory headlines. Traditional Family Alive and Well. I don't believe it used to be a tradition in Holland to have such a high rate of illegitimacy. Evert Vroegh By Evert Vroegh | November 11, 2008 8:43 PM I agree to a point with cindy. Have a great education, are capable and intelligent? Great! Get into a career that both fulfills you as well as your chosen company and community! But where do children fit in to all this? Who do you want raising them? Personally, I think the mother AND father working together, even if it means having a part time job arrangement for either or both would be ideal. You can always hire someone to clean the house (inanimate objects don't care). I was a State licensed home daycare provider in California from the time my son was four years old until he was in school all day, which was about seven years old. I made this choice in order to be home with him rather than in a legal career. I took care of three babies under seven months old, two two-year-olds and my son. I spent most of those children's waking hours with them. It broke my heart when at times the babies cried when I handed them over to their parents when it was time to go home. I always reminded the parents about checking for first teeth, etc., but still it was I who many times saw them actually take their first steps. Yes, careers are great in so many ways, but in America I've seen so many women try to do it all and end up losing precious moments that won't be repeated. I think it's nice that here part time workers are the norm. I don't know enough about the pension and retirement situation at this point to comment on it. By Cathy | November 12, 2008 8:44 AM Cathy makes a great point. For a woman to sacrifice a career and money and security to raise children is often un-rewarded and very difficult but there are those that benefit from it for the rest of their life- these children that grow up with a healthy confidence of the security and love that they gain from being raised by their mother rather than a day care worker! They are heroes on the highest level. Kudos. By bet | November 12, 2008 10:36 PM The ideal would be that quality childcare is readily available and affordable for those 3 days of the week required by the family (whichever days they may be), whilst both the mother and the father each work 4 days. It is (or would be) truly great for the family that both a mother and a father may work such a "part-time" week. However, with the government in NL doing its mediocre-est via ineffective measures to encourage mothers into the workplace, mothers generally have to either stay at home with the children or do a 2 or 3 day week; 2 or 3 days being no good to anybody, and certainly not to one's career chances. Also - one great dilemma is that as women become more educated and have children later in life, we are used to having independance and fun via a working life, although it remains our primeval need to bear and care for our young - the two being, these days, incompatible or indeed, mutually exclusive activities. We want to make use of our education and our brains, make money and be independant, but we also want to care properly for our children. Tribal women work (tend the fields and home) with their children alongside them - we can't really stow the baby under our desk all day, and that's where the problem lies. On the other hand, educated single women working 3 days a week insted of 5 is something I find contemptuous - how lazy, and what a waste of yourself, and what a slap in the face to your sisters who DO actually want to make something of themselves... By Chris | November 13, 2008 1:45 PM This very interesting discussion is going on for years now in Holland. In any country working and having children at the same time poses a problem for women. A problem that can be solved, however. Working part-time is one of those solutions. And because it is accepted in Holland woman do it. If Plasterk en Dijkstra are surprised by this they haven't been paying much attention. On top of that they are blaming the mothers and the mothers in law. That is horrible! I guess mothers are always to blame wether they are working or not. Is that maybe the root of the problem? By Josta | November 13, 2008 8:09 PM Place your comments: |
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As a foreign lady/full time employer in the Netherlands, I, on one side admire the choices that the Dutch government gives to the ladies here: MAY work less, more time for the family; on the other hand, a lot of highly educated Dutch women also follow this trend, waste their intelligence and capabilities, are afraid of working with tense. They instead of compete with other ladies on their own career, but compete their husbands’ wealthy and capabilities. It’s very sad and old fashion!
By cindy | November 11, 2008 10:02 AM