While in many countries around the world a four-day workweek remains a dream, in the Netherlands it has actually become a reality. In 2024, the Dutch worked an average of 32.1 hours per week, which is the shortest among European countries. And women played a key role in this transformation, writes Fortune.
According to Eurostat, the Netherlands is ahead of other European countries in reducing the working week. Its closest neighbors — Austria, Germany, and Denmark — have an average of about 34 hours.
For comparison, Americans working full-time in 2024 worked an average of 42.9 hours per week, and more than a third of those employed in the EU worked between 40 and 45 hours.
The transition to a shorter workweek in the Netherlands was gradual, beginning in the 1980s with the significant entry of women into the labor market, primarily in part-time positions.
This altered the traditional model, where the man was the sole breadwinner, and led to the adaptation of tax legislation. The country established a model where one parent works full-time and the other part-time. This system, supported by tax benefits, became the standard for workers of both sexes, allowing parents to combine their careers and childcare more flexibly.
Flexibility in the labor market has had a positive impact on employment rates. In 1991, the unemployment rate in the Netherlands was 7.3%, and within a decade it had fallen to 2.1%. It currently remains at a stable low of 3.6%.
In contrast, in the United States, where there is pressure to return to the office, a worrying trend is emerging. In the first six months of this year, 212,000 women left the labor market, while the number of working men increased, suggesting that tight work schedules may be contributing to the departure of women from the workforce.