Agneta Fischer
Katharina Block
Agneta Fischer’s question
Dear Kate,
You are studying gender stereotypes and you have lived and earned your degrees in the US. Do you see differences in gender stereotypes or gendered values between the NL and the US?
Katharina Block’s answer
Dear Agneta,
When we think about gender equality, the Netherlands often comes to mind as a shining example. Women here have many rights and legal protections that they do not have in other places. But when we look more closely—at who takes on which jobs (i.e., gender roles), or what traits we associate with men and women (i.e., gender stereotypes) —a surprising pattern emerges. In wealthier, more individualistic countries like the Netherlands and US, gender roles are often highly segregated and stereotypes are strong.
Recent research shows that in these countries, people tend to strongly associate women with family life and men with careers (Napp, 2023, 2024). These stereotypes are somewhat reflect reality: in richer countries, men and women tend to have more different values, preferences, and career paths than in less affluent ones (Herlitz et al., 2023; Ilmarinen, & Lonnquist, 2024; Kosakowska-Berezecka et al., 2024). Our own research, finds that men in the Netherlands, Canada, and the US are much less interested in care-related jobs (like nursing or teaching) than women are. In contrast, in countries like Ethiopia or Costa Rica, these gender differences are almost absent (Block et al., 2025). One telling example: only 11% of nurses in the Netherlands are men (Eurostat, 2022).
So what’s going on? It seems that broader cultural and economic structures—such as a large service sector—encourage men and women to sort into more traditionally gendered roles (Charles, 1992, 2003; Block et al., 2025). Further, in individualistic countries, care-work is often undervalued, especially for men, which makes it even harder to break these patterns (Cuddy et al., 2015; Schmader & Block, 2025).
We can see some of these structural dynamics here. Despite the progressive image, the Netherlands rank poorly in terms of gender-equal economic participation. According to the World Economic Forum (2024), the Netherlands score lower than countries like Albania and Kenya. A major reason is the high rate of Dutch women who switch to part-time work after having children—often permanently. This is linked to limited parental leave, expensive childcare, and individualistic cultural norms that force mothers shoulder childcare alone (Yerkes & Hewitt, 2019). Over time, these structural issues become psychological ones: people begin to see these patterns as “natural” (Eagly & Wood, 2004), which then forces new generations to replicate these inequalities.
Gender equality, in other words, is more complicated than it seems—and true progress may require rethinking both our policies and our assumptions.
Katharina
Katharina Block’s question is for Sasha Cook
Dear Sasha,
Since the pandemic, we have been seeing a marked increase in chronic, disabaling illnesses. What can psychological research teach us about how people with chronic health challenges fair in the workplace and how we can support them?
Katharina
Agneta Fischer’s question
Dear Kate,
You are studying gender stereotypes and you have lived and earned your degrees in the US. Do you see differences in gender stereotypes or gendered values between the NL and the US?.
Agneta
Katharina Block’s answer
Dear Agneta,
When we think about gender equality, the Netherlands often comes to mind as a shining example. Women here have many rights and legal protections that they do not have in other places. But when we look more closely—at who takes on which jobs (i.e., gender roles), or what traits we associate with men and women (i.e., gender stereotypes) —a surprising pattern emerges. In wealthier, more individualistic countries like the Netherlands and US, gender roles are often highly segregated and stereotypes are strong.
Recent research shows that in these countries, people tend to strongly associate women with family life and men with careers (Napp, 2023, 2024). These stereotypes are somewhat reflect reality: in richer countries, men and women tend to have more different values, preferences, and career paths than in less affluent ones (Herlitz et al., 2023; Ilmarinen, & Lonnquist, 2024; Kosakowska-Berezecka et al., 2024). Our own research, finds that men in the Netherlands, Canada, and the US are much less interested in care-related jobs (like nursing or teaching) than women are. In contrast, in countries like Ethiopia or Costa Rica, these gender differences are almost absent (Block et al., 2025). One telling example: only 11% of nurses in the Netherlands are men (Eurostat, 2022).
So what’s going on? It seems that broader cultural and economic structures—such as a large service sector—encourage men and women to sort into more traditionally gendered roles (Charles, 1992, 2003; Block et al., 2025). Further, in individualistic countries, care-work is often undervalued, especially for men, which makes it even harder to break these patterns (Cuddy et al., 2015; Schmader & Block, 2025).
We can see some of these structural dynamics here. Despite the progressive image, the Netherlands rank poorly in terms of gender-equal economic participation. According to the World Economic Forum (2024), the Netherlands score lower than countries like Albania and Kenya. A major reason is the high rate of Dutch women who switch to part-time work after having children—often permanently. This is linked to limited parental leave, expensive childcare, and individualistic cultural norms that force mothers shoulder childcare alone (Yerkes & Hewitt, 2019). Over time, these structural issues become psychological ones: people begin to see these patterns as “natural” (Eagly & Wood, 2004), which then forces new generations to replicate these inequalities.
Gender equality, in other words, is more complicated than it seems—and true progress may require rethinking both our policies and our assumptions.
Katharina
Katharina Block’s question is for Sasha Cook
Dear Sasha,
Since the pandemic, we have been seeing a marked increase in chronic, disabaling illnesses. What can psychological research teach us about how people with chronic health challenges fair in the workplace and how we can support them?
Katharina
