The panel consisted of Sonia Heemstra de Groot, an associate professor in EWI from Argentina, Anke Kohl, an employee of DISC from Germany, Yanyan Xue, an aio in CSTM from China and Yulia Bachvarova, an aio in EWI from Bulgaria. Moderators were Margaret Skutsch, a senior lecturer in CSTM from England, and Peter Timmerman, the token Dutchman.
When Heemstra de Groot arrived in the Netherlands from Argentina twenty years ago, she was impressed by Dutch women, by their `incredible independence, clear opinions, and at home men and women did the same chores - there were women repairing bicycles and men washing dishes.' At the same time, she was surprised to find so few women working at universities and among them so few Dutch women.
After sharing such impressions, the panelists addressed three propositions.
Dutch women have won the gender battle at home, so they are not really concerned about the gender battle at work.
Xue and Bachvarova scoffed at the term `gender battle.' `Why call it a gender battle? It's a question of negotiation, not a war.' Heemstra de Groot explained that in her native Argentina, because there was no gender equality at home, women sought it elsewhere. Building a career was a way to show that a woman is someone, has something for herself. `In a way, it is negative for Dutch women that they do not have this push', she observes.
A middle-aged Danish woman interjected, `My mother already fought this battle fifty years ago. In Denmark, there are a lot more women working at universities.' She attributes the high rates of women in the workplace to `good, decent daycare.' Skutsch put forth that the alleged `generation-and-a-half delay' in women's rights may be attributed to the fact that the Netherlands has traditionally been a rich country where women did not have to work.
Dutch men are very feminine, that's the reason why Dutch women play a minor role in the professional setting.
Skutsch referred to former Maastricht University professor Geert Hofstede's cultural dimensions when she described the Netherlands as having a `feminine culture.' According to Hofstede, `A low masculinity ranking indicates the country has a low level of differentiation and discrimination between genders. In these cultures, females are treated equally to males in all aspects of society.' For example, Sweden has a low masculinity index and Japan an extremely high one.
If Dutch culture is characterized by a low masculinity index, why the Dutch paradox where women enjoy equality at home, but not at work? Skutsch suggested, `There is not much support for the advancement of women at work because women already have so much.' Moreover, if the workplace is already `feminine,' who needs women to further `feminize' it?
Xue described Chinese women as banding together to gain rights. She finds that Dutch women don't have the same sense of urgency. She had also read in a study that `Dutch women are not as ambitious as men.'
Her last statement prickled the Dutch audience members. Suddenly hands shot straight up. One young Dutch woman exclaimed, `I think Dutch women are very ambitious. We want it all: work, family, social life.' A middle-aged Dutch woman who works in education defended her career choices, `I had a chance to become a director or principal, but I get energized from interaction with students, so I chose to stay in the classroom. Just because I didn't move up doesn't mean I'm not ambitious.' Finally, a young Dutch man diplomatically suggested, `Ambition is a relative term. One man may be ambitious to earn money; another woman may have ambition for a family.'
Here, Bachvarova broke in, `I meet women who stay home with their children because they believe it is best for children. There is a notion in the Netherlands that “working mother equals bad mother.” But, study after study shows that children “raised” in daycare are better at communicating and adapting at earlier ages. If women change beliefs about daycare and if the social framework is in place to provide inexpensive and quality daycare, then women may (re)enter the workforce en masse.'
Dutch women are afraid to use charm/sex appeal to get to the top.
This proposition launched the liveliest discussion of the evening. In general, older women rejected the idea outright. One middle-aged respondent pointed out, `Maybe using charm and sex appeal is not the way to the top, since men don't use it to get there.' An American in the audience warned, `Charm and sex appeal may get you to the top, but they won't keep you there.'
Heemstra de Groot and Bachvarova allowed that people in general must use their individual strengths and ambition in which ever way worked best for them in order to succeed. Young audience members chimed in, `Why not use everything you've got?' Finally, one feisty Chinese student enthused, `I think sex appeal is important. Sex appeal is power. Once you have power, you can exchange it for something else.'
