Rising economic independence among women has slowed

© Hollandse Hoogte
In 2024, 70 percent of women and 83 percent of men were economically independent. That was roughly the same as in 2022. The share of economically independent women continued to rise until 2023. The increase among men was less pronounced during the same period. This is according to new analysis of income data by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
Economically independent means that a person's net income is at subsistence level or above. This was 1,295 euro per month in 2024. The share is calculated for people not in education who are aged between 15 and the state pension age.


Rising minimum wages have not led to greater economic independence

In 2023, minimum wage growth rates were higher than other wages rates. Income support is linked to minimum wages, and therefore also increased, making it less likely that people would earn more than the subsistence level of income.

The number of people in employment had not risen, in relative terms, and the average number of hours worked was also unchanged from the previous year. The share of economically independent people therefore remained virtually unchanged.

In 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, the rise in the number of economically independent women came to an end and the share of economically independent men fell slightly. Prior to the pandemic, the economic upturn had been accompanied by an increase in economic independence - particularly among women, who were then more likely to be working more hours in a part-time job.

3 in 10 economically dependent women are in employment

The majority of people who are not economically independent rely on social security benefits. A smaller group is in employment, but earns an income below the subsistence level. Among women, this group was larger than among men in 2024: 30 percent of non-economically independent women compared to 26 percent of men. This is partly because women are more likely than men to work part-time and to earn lower average hourly wages.

Women are also more likely than men to have no income at all. These women often have a partner with an income, and they tend to be older and to have children than women with their own income. This is according to previous research conducted by CBS on this subject.


Differences between men and women across the country

In every municipality, men are more likely than women to be economically independent. In 2024, the largest difference was seen on Urk (89 percent of men and 60 percent of women), followed by Reimerswaal.

In large cities, the gender gap is generally small. It was smallest in Groningen, where 77 percent of men and 72 percent of women are economically independent. The difference between men and women in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Ouder-Amstel and Nijmegen are also small.

The municipalities with the highest percentage of economically independent men were Scherpenzeel and Staphorst, at 91 percent. The lowest rates of just over 70 percent were seen in municipalities in Zuidoost-Limburg (Heerlen, Vaals and Kerkrade). The share of economically independent women was also low in those municipalities, as it was in Pekela and Urk. Zoeterwoude and Bunnik had the highest percentages of economically independent women at 79 percent.

Sources

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