English
First child, lower income. New figures show gap between mothers and fathers
Parents with a small child during a walk together. Illustrative photo. pexels.com/Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license/Lela Johnson
After the birth of their first child, women’s earnings from work fall much more sharply than men’s. However, the gap is smaller than it was in the past. A report published by the Dutch CBS on 13 November shows how parenthood is linked to paid work and the division of care within families.
33 percent for mothers, 3 percent for fathers
CBS compared the incomes of people who worked before the birth of their first child between 2016 and 2018. Six years later, women’s earnings from work were on average 33 percent lower than in the year before motherhood. For fathers, the decline was around 3 percent. Among mothers who had their first child around two decades earlier, the decrease reached 57 percent. In the meantime, mothers have on average started working more hours. These are data on earnings from work, not a reduction in every woman’s hourly rate. Nor do they describe only families whose child was born in 2026. This distinction matters: monthly income can change with the number of hours worked, even if the hourly rate remains unchanged. Read also: Earnings in the Netherlands – rates in selected sectors.
Equal sharing of care more common in plans
Around two-thirds of the mothers and fathers surveyed would like to share childcare equally. In practice, 40 percent of couples say they do so. These findings concern cohabiting male-female couples with a minor child living at home. The study is not a separate analysis of Polish families in the Netherlands. Therefore, it does not make it possible to calculate how much a particular parent’s income will change or to attribute all differences to a single cause.
What to calculate before changing working hours
For a family planning a return to work, it can be helpful to compare several personal scenarios. Each should include both parents’ earnings, childcare expenses, commuting costs and the time needed to pick up the child. Rather than considering only a change in one parent’s working hours, both parents’ weekly schedules can be mapped out: who starts earlier, who can change their workday, and how many paid childcare hours are actually needed. This is a practical starting point for talking to an employer and checking individual arrangements. However, the average decline from the report should not be applied to the household budget as a forecast of one’s own salary. Statistics describe a group, while a family plan requires actual amounts and available options. Read also: Planned changes for 2027: salaries, bills and childcare. Data source: CBS statement of 13 November 2026 and Emancipation Monitor 2026.
