The year of the father
What has 2019 brought us in terms of gender equality? And what are the predictions for 2020? Prof. Belle Derks (Social, Health & Organisational Psychology) was a guest at the to reflect and look forward.
Really doing something
When asked whether 2019 was the year of the woman, Derks does not answer yes immediately: "a little". In 2019, two important new measures were announced: the women's quotum to get more women at the top and the extension of paternity leave. "What I find very interesting is that the government is finally going to really do something, instead of continuing to say 'that's up to the people themselves'," says Derks. Because other countries are also working with measures to achieve equality, the Netherlands can no longer lag behind.
The year of the father
Derks thinks that the extension of paternity leave will, among other things, ensure that having children will be linked to a certain age, instead of gender. That is why Derks hopes that 2020 will be the year of the father. "We're always looking at the woman ... but a lot of it has to do with the roles we attribute to men and women, and the Netherlands is a very conservative country." According to Derks, if the perspective of fathers and men without children on those roles changes, it will stimulate progress.