Stop complaining and get to work! Stated bluntly, that’s roughly the message that journalist Elma Drayer is sending Dutch women in her book Verwende prinsesjes (Spoilt Princesses).
Ms Drayer would like to see the typically Dutch part-timer follow the example of her full-time counterparts in neighbouring countries. But a tour of Radio Netherlands Worldwide's foreign correspondents reveals that the full-time/part-time dilemma is not unique to the Netherlands.
In her book, Elma Drayer has some harsh criticism for women whose ideal is to work a maximum of three days a week, on condition that the job is enjoyable enough. “Why is it that Dutch women have such a different position in the working world than their counterparts in comparable Western countries?” she wonders. “And why do they take such pride in it?”
European counterparts
Ms Drayer may see the full-time working women in other countries as the embodiment of an ideal, but the women themselves probably take a different view.
In Spain, 15 percent of women stop work as soon as they have a child due to a lack of part-time work. In Germany, women might well want to work more hours but they are held back by a distinct lack of child care facilities. And in the United Kingdom, a large proportion of women go from full-time to part-time work once they become mothers. In addition, British women also have the dreaded glass ceiling to contend with.
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What’s the situation in your country? Do women work full-time, part-time or do they stop work once they have a child? Does the glass ceiling exist where you are? You may use the comments field below, or maybe join us on Facebook.com and leave a comment there.
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I am a stay at home Mom and would love to work part-time in my desired career but here in the USA that isn't going to happen. Most think like this women, who I am replying to: her life is best for every women she looks up and down at. I guess all women should MAN UP! and forget how we feel, like it's some kind of weakness. A women who would cut her breast off just to bet a man at golf. I think women should have a choice, and should think not what's right for all but only themselves and their family. You know "Sweets" your power suit doesn't give you power. Your moodiness and limited understanding for others sucks.
Princesses? Hardly. But not serfs either.
It's an antiquated notion that a career requires a specific number of hours per week to be valid. In the modern age, in countries where life is already comfortable, pushing longer and longer hours is ridiculous. All this technology should be giving us more time to enjoy our families and our lives. The Netherlands is the first country I've seen wherein people seem to have a somewhat sane concept of work-life balance.
One more point: If a Dutch woman works a shortened week so she can spend more time raising her children, is it fair to say that she's working less? I should say not. Power to her.
I would love to work part time in my field but there is very little opportunity to do this. I am almost 50 years old and would prefer to have more time not running around trying to keep up. I enjoy my work but don't get to enjoy my home and friends very much. At work there is a minimum of 8 focused hours on the job, plus a long commute. Outside of work there is so much multitasking constantly going on, this is where the imbalance comes in... I know that is the way things are for most people now, but I don't think it is real progress.
I don't consider myself a princess, but someone who is trying to balance life/family and work.
And it is because the are "spoilt princesses" that the unemployement rate is below 5% in The Netherlands where by the way 40% of the population work part-time (70% of these 40% are women). I was amazed to see that even the male executives take Wednesday off (Papa Dag).
In the US, as a general rule, women who aspire to ascend to senior management levels cannot work part-time. We have to "pull our weight" with our male colleagues. As a woman executive, I don't have any illusions about this situation and frankly, I wouldn't invest my time mentoring anyone, male or female, who wasn't prepared to work full-time. It's a question of priorities and compromises. If you want to spend time raising children, that's fine, but don't expect that your employer should provide you the same level of career opportunity and advancement as others who are committed to doing anything/everything that the job demands.
I've not experienced any negative treatment in the workplace because of my gender and I balance my family life with work demands by working extra hours once my child goes to sleep. In the US, we call it the "second shift." And that's what you need to do if you want to be seen as competitive and committed.
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