Women in the Netherlands score lower than men on broad prosperity rating, study shows

Women scored lower than men in the Netherlands in a research on "broad prosperity," according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Broad prosperity is not only about the income, but also how healthy and happy a person feels, how they experience their work, and whether they have faith in each other and society. The biggest differences between men and women are in paid employment and health experiences, CBS stated.

According to the researchers, women have a higher chance of being unhappy with their job, have less faith in people and institutions, and feel more annoyed with environmental pollution in their living area. “Men score above average on all these points. The only point men score lower on is feeling victimized by crime,” CBS added.

The statistics agency also determined that the quality of life among people in the youngest age groups, which is below 35 years of age, is lower than it is among people in a higher age group.

"They have less to spend, own less wealth, and spend a relatively large portion of their income on housing costs. They are also less satisfied with their lives and their free time than average and are more often victims of crime," CBS noted.

The youngest age groups scored positive results on the areas of health, labor participation, and trust in institutions.

Statistics Netherlands also noted that most Dutch people are happy with their lives and aspects of it, like work, free time, and their living arrangements. A total of 85 percent of Dutch people gave their lives a grade of 7 or higher. “The confidence in other people is high and is increasing. The confidence in institutions, like the courts and police, is also high.”

Although not every result was positive. “There are plenty of jobs, but the salaries are not as high as people would like. And the housing shortage is continuing to grow,” the agency concluded.

Although there is still a high demand for staff, the researchers are not seeing that back in the rewards given for the work. Adjusted for inflation, the average hourly wage of employees has not increased since 2009.