Most dual-income couples don't mind earning different amounts

On average, women contribute a smaller share - 37 percent - of the joint income in dual-income households. But most couples don’t find this unequal input a problem, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) concluded in a study into the incomes of two-income families.

The Netherlands counts 2.4 million dual-income couples who have not yet reached state pension age. In most cases, one partner works full-time and the other part-time. In most cases, the woman is the part-time worker, CBS said.

A majority of male (92 percent) and female (72 percent) dual-income earners were financially independent in 2021 - they earned at least the minimum wage. On average, women in dual-income couples earned 1.4 times the minimum wage, and men 2.1 times.

On average, women contribute 37 percent of the combined income from work. “Most men and women do not think that an equal income is necessarily better for the balance in their relationship,” CBS said. “However, more women than men think it is better if both partners earn the same amount: 29 against 20 percent.”

Among men in dual-income households, fathers earn the most on average and young men without children the least. “Women, on average, earn less than men, regardless of their stage in life and whether or not they have children,” CBS said.

Over 90 percent of dual-income earners consider it important to earn money to have a good financial life with their family. Men are more likely than women to say their income can’t be missed in their family - over three-quarters and just over half, respectively.