More dialogue is required in order to discuss the inequality between men and women in the labour force, Social Affairs and Employment Minister Karien van Gennip wrote in a letter to the House of Representatives.
Currently, women in the Netherlands earn, on average, 13% less per hour than their male counterparts.
“We need to talk about all aspects of the current inequality between men and women in the labour market,” said Van Gennip, a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party.
According to the Dutch government, Van Gennip wants to talk to citizens and employers in three phases in 2023 and 2024 to identify the biggest obstacles and come up with solutions.
Additionally, Van Gennip is working on measures to realise more equal opportunities for women. For example, a quota was set in 2022 for more women at the top and partially paid parental leave for nine weeks for young parents was implemented in August.
“The necessary cultural change is not happening fast enough. In the social dialogue, I want to pay attention to the position of women in the labour market,” she added.
Others in the CDA voiced their support for this move. “Good initiative by colleague @karienvangennip to tackle the inequality between men and women in the labour market. Bizarre that this is still necessary in 2022, but all the more reason to work on it,” tweeted Foreign Affairs Minister and CDA party leader Wopke Hoekstra.
(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
