Women's contribution to the Dutch economy is around 27 percent. A raw estimate shows that if women would work a bit more outside the home and thus increase their contribution to the Dutch economy to, say, 35 percent, this would generate an additional 11 percent in GDP growth.
Women would still be working only half as much as men outside the home. With the extra money women would generate, the government could take care of the aging population and still have much more to spend on education and childcare. What is true in the Netherlands and Europe is true all over the world: reducing the inequalities that exist between men and women is not only a matter of justice; it also makes economic sense.
Heleen Mees is an economist and lawyer living in New York.
Copyright: Project Syndicate
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