Dutch Gov't Courts More 9-to-5 Women

The Dutch government is working to get women working. A new law mandating that schools must provide afternoon childcare is meant to raise the number of mothers in full-time jobs, the Economist reports. At 66%, the Netherlands has a higher than average female workforce among European countries, but 61% of those are part time. And other social forces stand in the way.

Only 28% of urban women say they set themselves lofty goals, and their rural counterparts are even less ambitious; indeed, the Netherlands has a very low share of top jobs staffed by women, hovering near 30%. And the social concept of good parenting is also extreme, as Dutch mothers who use daycare are heavily criticized. (More Netherlands stories.)