Some 3 million in Netherlands need urgent financial help; Women twice as likely to be vulnerable

Two million women in the Netherlands are not economically independent and are therefore financially vulnerable, Statistics Netherlands reported on Wednesday based on figures from 2016. About a million men find themselves in the same position.

Of the financially vulnerable men, 27 percent have paid work, but earn less than a welfare benefit. The same is true for 35 percent of financially vulnerable women. 28 percent of the men receive a welfare benefit and 21 percent receive an occupational disability benefit. Among the women it is 17 and 13 percent.

Nearly a quarter of the financially vulnerable women have no income at all. In almost all cases, they are completely dependent on their partner's income.

The stats office also noted that financially vulnerable women often have a partner that earns above average income. The average income of their partners was 49 thousand euros, compared to an average income of 39 thousand euros for all men last year.

About 1 in 10 men and women who are financially vulnerable, are self-employed. According to the stats office, their company's loss or small profits are mostly the reason for their financial vulnerability.

The number of financially vulnerable people in the Netherlands decreased slightly over the past years, thanks to the growing economy. Last year 21 percent of men and 41 percent of women were financially vulnerable, compared to 23 and 45 percent respectively in 2015.