Moms had a harder time working from home than dads

Mothers of young children had a much harder time working from home during the coronavirus lockdown than fathers did, social and cultural planning office SCP found in a study. Unlike other people who worked from home, women with kids under age 13 did not experience a better work-life balance.

According to the SCP, this may have to do with the fact that mothers with young children had their own workspace at home in less than a third of cases. Fathers had a home workspace in more than half of the cases. Children are also more likely to bug their mom with a question than their dad, the planning office found.

The Dutch cabinet is considering continuing to encourage working from home, according to RTL Nieuws. The cabinet believes that this will benefit employees, reduce the environmental impact of commuting and potentially entice people with care responsibilities - like mothers with young children - to work more hours.

After this study, the SCP warned that this last hope may not turn out as expected. The planning office stressed that agreements must be made between government, employees, employers and other involved parties about working from home, focusing on customization. People who find it difficult to work from home should be given priority for a place in the office, the SCP said.

Employers are also increasingly on board with working from home, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management found in its own study. 96 percent of the 1,100 companies surveyed said they offer work-from-home facilities, 86 percent now offer flexible work hours, and 94 percent have options for online meetings instead of physical ones. Almost half of employers said they plan to continue investing in making work-from-home easier for their employees.