Fewer and fewer families in which only the father works

© ANP / Dolph Cantrijn
In 2023, in 13 percent of families with children under 18 only the father was in paid work, while their partners (mostly women) were not in paid work. Over the past decade, the number of families in this category has declined steadily: in 2013, it was 19 percent of families. A quarter of women who are outside the labour force would like to work under certain circumstances. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this based on a new analysis.
In over half of the 1.5 million families with one or more children aged under 18, the father works full-time (35 hours or more per week) and the partner works part-time (fewer than 35 hours). This has decreased slightly over the past decade. However, there has been a shift from 'small' (fewer than 20 hours per week) to 'large' part-time jobs (20 to 35 hours per week) among both men and women. There are also more families in which both parents work full-time or part-time.

Employment pattern of partners with children under 18
Werkverdeling2023 (%)2013 (%)
Both full-time14.19.6
Male full time, partner part-time52.154.1
Female full-time, partner part-time3.41.9
Both part-time12.36.7
Male in paid employment, partner not12.819.4
Female in paid employment, partner not3.04.7
Both partners not in paid employment2.43.6

Particularly among mothers, care responsibilities are a reason not to work

In 2022, approximately 14 percent of non-working mothers with a partner (275 thousand) were not seeking employment and could not find a job in the short term. In the Labour Force Survey (LFS), nearly half of them mentioned that caring for their family or household was the reason for this. This has changed little over the past decade. Illness or incapacity for work is also an important reason for not participating in the labour force. Among fathers with a partner, 5 percent (104 thousand) were not in paid work. For over half of them, illness or incapacity for work were the main reasons for not working, while 8 percent mentioned caring for their family or household.

Reason for not seeking employment and not being immediately available, 2022
RedenMothers with partner (%)Fathers with partner (%)
Caring for the family
or household		47.47.7
Illness/
incapacity for work		38.355.8
Retirement/
older age		5.126.9
Education6.23.8
Other2.95.8

Jobs closer to home in particular would motivate women to work

In the 2022 Emancipation Monitor, three quarters of women not in paid work mentioned that they do not want to work, and that this would still be the case even if the circumstances were different. This includes if a job were available with the desired working hours or if their household income was no longer sufficient.

A quarter of women would be willing to enter paid employment (again), provided certain conditions were met. Finding a job close to home and with the desired working hours were mentioned most often. A healthy work-life balance and the option of working from home were also reasons for women to consider returning to work.

For women working part-time, 65 percent would like to work more hours under certain employment conditions, especially if their household income was no longer sufficient to maintain their lifestyle.

Dutch more critical of working mums’ relationship with children

In 2022, 72 percent of the Dutch population aged 16 to 74 agreed or completely agreed with the statement that a working mother can have just as warm and secure a relationship with her children as a mother who does not work. This is below the EU average of 80 percent. People in Poland, Finland, Italy, France and Denmark think most positively about the relationship between working mothers and their children. Men are more likely to disagree with this statement than women. Seventy-six percent of Dutch women agree or completely agree with this statement, while 67 percent of the men do.

Working mothers just as warm and secure a relationship with their children as non-working mothers, 2022
Land(Completely) agree (% (completely) agree)
Poland87.7
Finland84.3
Italy82.8
France81.7
Denmark81.0
Germany80.9
Croatia80.7
EU-2780.4
Romenia80.4
Sweden80.3
Austria79.7
Portugal79.5
Spain79.1
Cyprus78.9
Slovenia78.5
Ireland78.1
Greece76.9
Slovakia76.4
Czechia76.2
Hongary75.6
Belgium74.0
Lithuania73.0
Bulgary72.5
Netherlands71.7
Latvia67.9
Malta67.4
Estonia66.4
Luxembourg63.6
Source: CBS, European Institute for Gender Equality

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