By bizn_fun 
One way of increasing this supply could be getting more Dutch women working full-time. While female employment is high, more than half of Dutch women work part time – around three times the OECD average.
Access to affordable childcare remains a major constraint, and high income taxes and complex benefits can discourage people, especially second earners, from working more hours.
Peter Hein van Mulligen, from the Dutch Statistics Office (CBS), points to an “institutionalised conservatism” deep rooted in Dutch society, which acts as a barrier to women’s participation.
A 2024 study found one in three people in the Netherlands think that mothers with very young children (aged three or younger) should work not more than one day a week, and nearly 80% think that three days a week is the maximum.
For fathers these shares are respectively 5% and 29%.
“Quite a difference,” notes van Mulligen.
Yvette Becker from FNV union says a four‑day working week can help close the gender gap. “You gain productivity with less absenteeism.”
Back at Positivity Branding, de Wit says four-day working weeks make employment “more attractive”, especially for sectors of the economy with shortages, such as education and health.
“It could be a way to make those professions way more attractive and get the productivity back up.”
His co-founder Arm adds his thoughts on the four-day week: “Are you happier? Are you enjoying your life more? That’s really what it’s all about.”