We achieve gender equality together

Her legacy lives on with the lecture that carries her name, which drew a full audience at THUAS on Monday, March 2. Comedian, writer, and presenter Lisa Loeb took the audience through decades of legislation and policies that show how inequality between men and women in the Netherlands came to be. 

Last year, the Netherlands dropped from 28th to 43rd place on the Global Gender Gap Index and now has the second-largest pension gap in Europe. Additionally, a woman with a migrant background earns on average 30% less than a white woman. 

“Free choice” 

Lisa calls it “fake feminism.” “The Netherlands is lulled to sleep by pretty words about free choices, while policies structurally restrict those choices. The ‘kitchen subsidy,’ a tax benefit that made it financially attractive for women to work less, was only fully abolished in 2023. And the new government is now cutting maternity and parental leave. Precisely the period that is crucial for an equal distribution of tasks at home. We keep offering individual solutions for a collective problem.” 

A collective movement 

Change does not happen on its own. Political history shows that it has always been women who took the initiative. And politicians confirm it themselves: activism works, taking to the streets works. Deputy Mayor Mariëlle Vavier added a clear message: “Gender equality is not a fight against men. It is a movement with men.” Lisa: “You can only make a free choice if the circumstances allow it.”