Here’s why women in the Netherlands are now “working for free” until the new year

Women in the Netherlands will start “working for free” today, November 24, until 2026. And, no, it’s not because companies have suddenly become NGOs. 

It’s Equal Pay Day, the annual reminder that the gender pay gap is very much alive, kicking, and sipping a koffie while women do unpaid labour (symbolically). 

Not going Dutch now, are we?  

Here’s how it works

If men and women earned the same on average, Equal Pay Day would fall neatly on the last day of the year. 

But because women earn 10.5% less per hour, today, November 24, is the point in the year when the average man has already earned what an average woman would earn by the end of the year. 

So from now until New Year’s Eve, women are symbolically “working for free,” while men continue earning and (still) sending tikkies. 

However, according to Nu.nl, Equal Pay Day has moved ten whole days later compared to last year, signalling a decrease in the wage gap. 

Is this progress? Definitely not

Experts say the improvement has less to do with dismantling discrimination and more to do with the minimum wage going up as of January 1, 2025. 

What does that have to do with women’s pay? Well, many women earn minimum wage or slightly more, meaning their average pay got a little boost. 

While plenty of men earn minimum wage as well, many men also earn well above minimum wage, so they didn’t experience the same boost. 

So, the gap did shrink, but not necessarily because we progressed as a society.

Reasons for the wage gap

The pay gap still costs women in the Netherlands €1.9 billion annually, estimates the FNV (Netherlands Trade Union Confederation) — but what causes it? 

Men are more likely to work full-time, as women are hit with the “mother penalty,” a marked drop in earnings after having children. 

The labour of a mother is valorised as care, love, but weaponised to make the labour market an all-boys party. Not gezellig. 

Then there’s the career progression. Men move into higher-paid roles faster and accumulate more experience over time, widening the wage gap later in life, even if young women start out strong. 

But could there be light at the end of the tunnel? A new EU law called the Gender Pay Directive is coming in 2027, and it intends to lessen the gender pay gap. 

Whether this new directive will fix everything is hard to say. But at least by then, Equal Pay Day might land closer to Christmas, and not in November.

The Netherlands has a reputation for being progressive on women’s rights. As a woman working here, how has that felt in practice? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

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