Women who work less when they have a child often continue to do so for the rest of their careers. The cause is the part-time culture and structure in our country, according to research by the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP).
If mothers started working again when their children are older and more independent, the labor supply would increase sharply. Policy for this is aimed at young mothers. A broader approach is needed to reach older mothers as well. Moreover, we should discuss the way in which we organize paid and unpaid work in our country, say the researchers.
Only half of the mothers will work (slightly) more if the children need less care. Two in three mothers do not return to the number of hours they worked before having children. The conclusion of the planning office: with the arrival of children, paid work has definitely been put on the back burner for most mothers.
Part-time working is the norm
That’s because we’ve come to see it as the norm for women to work part-time. Once seen as an ideal solution for working mothers, it is now an integral part of the organization of Dutch society and prevailing norms about the roles of men and women.
Subtly and less subtly, women are steered towards part-time jobs when they have children. If they didn’t already do that.
Solutions are there, but not used
According to the researchers, if the government wants to help the large group of older mothers to work, then more is needed than allowances, leave schemes and childcare. They mention conclusive day arrangements for school-age children, a care-friendly organizational culture, life career policy at work, making more work more rewarding and employers making it possible to discuss and make extending working hours possible.
“The question is whether only a full-time bonus such as the government is now proposing will move women. Working part-time is not only deeply ingrained in our society, but also in the lives of many women themselves. You can’t just break through that,” says Wil Portegijs, researcher at the Social and Cultural Planning Office