We can't stop talking about it:motherhood and work. Perhaps not so surprising, because barely 60 years ago the combination was still a no-go. Yet there is still a lot of discussion about women's emancipation in the Netherlands. Because is that emancipation a bit over by now? Or are we kidding ourselves?
What do you think of that? Well, how are things at your house? Emancipated? We are curious about your opinion and reaction. But first, let's take a look at women's emancipation in the Netherlands. And the discussion about it, which does not seem to be coming to an end for the time being.
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Women's emancipation in the Netherlands? That's over, says one. Because nowhere is there so much part-time work as here. Mothers do not dare to work full-time, concluded a PhD student, because there is enormous social pressure on them. A full-time working mother cannot be a good mother, is the common sense .
No, women's emancipation in the Netherlands is complete, says the other. And, for example, the NRC. Women can choose and they want everything, so they take the best of both worlds .
I disagree with the last statement, but the authors do have a point. Why do we make ourselves so dependent on what others think of us? If Aletta Jacobs had done that, she would probably not have become the Netherlands' first female doctor.
Women's emancipation in the Netherlands can be considered 'finished', or downright nonsense. Anyway, arrange it the way you want. And above all, think practically, about money. Because a mothering mother puts her career on the back burner, and when she gets divorced, her income drops, despite Dad's usually 12 years of alimony. The government could of course organize a number of things better. Our maternity leave can last longer than those rotten sixteen weeks. This is quite common in many European countries (Germany, Scandinavia). And in Belgium, children from 2 ½ can go to school all day long. I personally wouldn't want that, but it is handy.
But we can also arrange a lot ourselves. I know a couple who had a deed drawn up at the notary before they got married that any loss of income of the caring parent (ie she) will be compensated by the working parent – even after a divorce. Why don't more people do that? Why not make this a standard deed, just like the well-known "anti-son-in-law clause" or the earlier "will on the surviving spouse"? Many parents donate money to their children, for example to pay off the house. Why don't they do this to purchase care tasks or to compensate for a few years shorter working hours? A kind of dowry, but different. Perhaps the government can set up a tax-friendly construction…
Really, we can do a lot if we want to. There are parents who run a daycare center in groups. And thanks to a motion by two progressive politicians (Van Aartsen and Bos, remember?) we got good after-school care, almost overnight.
In short, let's not whine, but come up with solutions. And they can be different for everyone! Because that is also women's emancipation in the Netherlands:being open to differences. And in the first place, let's be happy that we live in the Netherlands. Because in Abu Dhabi it has recently become mandatory for your child to be at home for two years! – to breastfeed… So they can still suck at our emancipation 😉 .
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