Mary sends me this article from Macleans, which she found on pastor Mark Driscoll’s blog.
Excerpt:
Like many Dutch women, Marie-Louise van Haeren views herself as liberated. “Every woman in Holland can do whatever she wants with her life,” says Van Haeren, 52, who lives just outside of Rotterdam and rides her bicycle or the train to work three days a week at a police academy, where she counsels students. She has worked part-time her entire career, as have almost all of her friends—married or unmarried, kids or no kids—save one or two who logged more hours out of financial necessity. Van Haeren, who wasn’t married until last year and has no children, says she’s worked part-time “to have time to do things that matter to me, live the way I want. To stay mentally and physically healthy and happy.”
Many women in the Netherlands seem to share similar views, valuing independence over success in the workplace. In 2001, nearly 60 per cent of working Dutch women were employed part-time, compared to just 20 per cent of Canadian women. Today, the number is even higher, hovering around 75 per cent. Some, like Van Haeren, view this as progress, evidence of personal freedom and a commitment to a balanced lifestyle.
[…]…Dutch women appear deaf to the siren call of the workplace. Asked whether they’d like to increase their hours, just four per cent said yes, compared to 25 per cent of French women. And while across the Channel, British media are heralding the resurgence of feminism—last weekend, some 500 women crowded into a feminist training camp, UK Feminista, to be trained in direct action and activism—in Holland, women like Van Haeren baldly proclaim no further need for the movement. “Feminism wasn’t necessary anymore by the time I grew up,” she says. “In my eyes, it was a thing of the past.”
The relationship between personal lifestyle choices and the socio-economic standing of women has been under the microscope in Holland ever since the publication of Dutch Women Don’t Get Depressed in 2008. Ellen de Bruin, who patterned her book after Mireille Guiliano’s bestseller French Women Don’t Get Fat, began by defining the stereotypical Dutch woman: naturally beautiful with a no-fuss sense of style, she rides her bike to fetch the groceries, has ample time with her kids and husband, takes art classes in the middle of the week, and spends leisurely afternoons drinking coffee with her friends. She loves to work part-time and does not earn as much as her husband, but she’s fine with that—he takes care of the bills. The book went on to note that Dutch women rank consistently low, compared to those in other Western countries, in terms of representation in top positions in business and government—and rank consistently near the top in terms of happiness and well-being. In fact, just about everyone in Holland seems pleased with the status quo; in 2009, the Netherlands ranked highest of all OECD countries in terms of overall well-being.
Could it be that the Bible actually speaks truly about the differences between men and women? That doesn’t mean that women and men should be careless when choosing a spouse – they should choose wisely. But maybe it is better for men and women to play complementary roles. Maybe they were designed to be able to do different things, because they have different strengths? Maybe they fit together hand in glove in marriage, canceling out the weaknesses of the other?
WINTERY KNIGHT 
So dutch women are the happiest women in the world because they act like women and they’re not interested in egalitarianism and feminism. Who would have thought that a woman might be happier if she actually acted like a woman? The Cultural Marxism that has been swallowed the world over has convinced women that they are fully capable of going it alone and that men are unnecessary in their pursuit of happiness. Cultural Marxism offers women freedom in the form of ‘self expression’ and that somehow through freely ‘expressing themselves.’ They will feel free and happy. Sounds good, except for the fact that the ‘self’ that they are expressing is not ‘themselves’ but rather a prescribed Marxist view of womanhood, whereby the freedom is not freedom of womanhood, but rather only the freedom from man. It is a direct attack on the gender roles for the sole purpose of destroying the family (a building block of Christian society). Women who have never been or felt oppressed are taking up a fight for freedom which is enslaving them instead. They are unhappy because they are not fullfilled. The role of a woman in it’s purest and most beautiful form, the Proverbs 31 woman, is a role where women can find fulfillment and contentment and true freedom. The proverbs 31 woman is an active, smart, trustworthy woman, “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.”
She is hardworking and works for the purpose of helping her husband, “She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” She is a focused business woman, “She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” She is healthy and fit, “her arms are strong for her tasks.” She doesn’t make stupid financial mistakes, “She sees that her trading is profitable,” and she works long hours getting it right, “Her lamp does not go out at night.” She is generous, “She opens her arms to the poor,” and she is rewarded, “She is clothed in fine linen and purple.” This woman cares intimately for her family and encourages her husband and allows for her husband to busy himself with the affairs of the world, “Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.” Something that would be made quite difficult were she to act otherwise. Instead she acts intelligently, and “She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” The bible says nothing of her charm, “Charm is deceptive,” but rather she is judged on her works, “let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” This is woman, a happy, free successful woman, and she is a compliment to a happy free successful man! The dutch are on their way with their rejection of feminism, but true happiness will be found in the adoption of the Judeo-Christian prescription!
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It’s an excellent article – I think you might be drawing too many conclusions too soon, I think it’s something that needs to be examined. I’ve personally seen many women in the professional fields regret the amount of time that they devoted to professional development over family only to realize that they were too old to conceive naturally and then have to spend thousands if not tens of thousands out of pocket for fertility treatments.
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There’s a push in many countries to make that taxpayer-funded.
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They obviously haven’t calculated how much it would cost them.
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Families in the Netherlands have a social safety net that pays for child care, medical etc.This allows women to choose their life styles.
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