UvA study: Dutch people slightly more negative about women’s emancipation
The average Dutch person is strongly in favour of women’s emancipation, even if this often does not match reality. Even so, for the first time since 2012, the Dutch are thinking more conservatively about the role of women in society, according to research from the UvA.
By far the majority of Dutch people are positive about the role of women in society. UvA researchers, in collaboration with Tilburg University, asked 2,500 Dutch adults to respond to statements about women’s emancipation in eight areas.
According to the vast majority of Dutch people, women have just as much right as men to a university education (95 per cent) and a job (78 per cent), and are just as capable as men of holding senior management and political leadership positions (90 per cent). Most Dutch people also think that mothers can work perfectly well without this being at the expense of their children (86 per cent), and that it is not a problem if a woman earns more than her husband (73 per cent). Furthermore, most Dutch people believe that abortion is justified, and 84 per cent of Dutch people consider violence against women to be unacceptable.
Attitudes do not match reality
These percentages are much higher than UvA researchers Mark Boukes and Lisa Mügge had expected. Boukes: “I do survey research fairly often, and it usually gives a fairly nuanced picture. Here, however, you see that the overwhelming majority think positively about women’s emancipation.”
“What I find interesting is that the picture does not match reality,” adds Mügge. “86 per cent of Dutch people support working mothers, yet the Emancipation Monitora periodic report by Statistics Netherlands shows that only 9 per cent of families with young children actually manage to share care tasks equally. Likewise, most Dutch people think women make just as good political leaders as men, yet only about a third of the cabinet is made up of women.”
Decline
The results also show that support among the Dutch for women’s emancipation has fallen slightly for the first time since 2012. In seven of the eight areas, Dutch people have become more negative about the role of women in society. Feelings of safety among the Dutch have also declined, especially among women. Mügge: “I find that worrying, because such a feeling of safety can also affect your freedom of movement in public spaces.”
The declines are not large. Boukes: “A decline like this amounts to a few percentage points: out of every 100 people, two or three have become more conservative. We also don’t know whether the people who completed the survey this year are the same as those who did so four years ago. So it could be a one-off dip.”
Tradwives
According to Mügge, the decline should be seen in the context of the conservative wind blowing through America and Europe as well. “There is a lot of resistance to gender equality under the influence of far-right and religious movements. Democracy is under pressure, and women’s rights are the first to suffer as a result.”
Mügge also sees a return to traditional role patterns in her research. “So-called tradwives (women who choose a traditional division of roles – ed.) play a part in this too. It’s not just young men who are striving for a hypermasculine ideal: there are also influential female influencers who promote that image.”
The researchers also see little difference between older and younger generations in their vieuws about emancipation. Boukes: “People often assume that younger generations are more progressive. We saw little evidence of that.” Earlier UvA research into LGBTQ+ attitudes among young people had already shown that young people have become more conservative about gender equality.
Abortion
The only issue about which the Dutch have become more positive in recent years is abortion. There is movement in politics too. On Monday 28 September, the political party Pro submitted a motion in the House of Representatives to remove abortion from the Criminal Code.
The researchers hope the research will also lead to policy change in other areas. Mügge: “This research shows that there is support among the Dutch for emancipation. It can therefore serve as ammunition for politicians to push through policy change.”
