Recent statisticspublished by CBS indicate that 65.4% of women aged 18-64 were active in the workforce compared to 78.7% of men in The Netherlands in 2013. The number of working women has risen considerably since the end of the 1990s. For every 100 employed men in 1998, there were nearly 66 employed women. By 2013 this had risen to 82 working women per 100 working men.
Though this is a positive sign, the participation rate of women in the labour market is still much lower compared to men. A significant number of women hold part-time positions instead of working full-time. Women worked an average of 28.5 hours a week in 2013, compared with nearly 39 hours for men. Also, eight in ten men worked more than 35 hours a week, compared with just fewer than three in 10 women.
There could many reasons why women are choosing part-time over full time work but a CBS report highlighted the main factors for women not participating in the labour market include education (the number one reason), illness or disability, care for family or household. Over eight in 10 women who were not active in the labour force in the third quarter of 2014 did not want to work. Most of them reported education as the main reason for this.
There are several initiatives in The Netherlands that want to help attract female talent into the job market. The Dutch government initiated the Deeltijds Plus Task Force in order to encourage more women to work more hours. They foresee a shrinking tax base to pay for social programmes due to less workers and an ageing population. More women working means money is injected into the economy to support the social programmes that make The Netherlands such an attractive place to live.
The report by the Task Force found that women are not less ambitious than men when it comes to work. Women are motivated by paycheques and upward mobility just as men are and they also want fulfilling work that allows them to develop and deepen their expertise.
Women in small businesses:
Over the past years, the number of self-employed people (ZZP’ers) in the country has increased and this comprises the women opening their own businesses. At the end of 2013, there were 372,000 women who were ZZP’ers and the figures increased in 2014. By the end of the third quarter of 2014, there were 390,000.
However, the income of women in small businesses is still lower than that of men. In 2012, there were 265 000 women zz’pers in The Netherlands and their average income was 15 000 Euros, 40% less than their male counterparts. Women businesses tend to be in lower paid sectors such as culture, recreations and services whereas men owned companies in building or business services.
Expatriate women:
Many international companies are choosing to set up their shops in The Netherlands. The average international worker is male, works in the energy or business sector, and brings their wife and family with them. Many of these women were working prior to moving overseas and many would like to continue working. To date, there are no statistics on how many were successful at finding full-time work.
To assist international employees and their spouses, many companies have set up programmes to help spouses get work permits and find work. Despite these programmes, many expat women find language barriers difficult to overcome, as well as managing a family and international living. Many expat women have started companies of their own, creating a sense of work fulfillment on their own terms.