More women needed in Dutch parliament: Lower House leader

There needs to be more women in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch Parliament, according to Kamer leader Khadija Arib. As long as only a quarter of the Kamer consists of women, parliament will not be a true reflection of society, she said to BNR.

And it is not just women. The Kamer could definitely do with a better balance between young and old and different ethnic backgrounds. There is still a world to win when it comes to emancipation, Arib said.

The Kamer president acknowledged that parties are trying their best. "But it is not nearly enough. It would be very nice if half of the MPs were women. Now the MPs are very similar to each other, and more variety brings in more life than if we all look the same." Arib said. "We have top women, and yet it is often a matter of 'we know us': they play golf together and tennis and always the same people are being pushed forward"