Samenvatting

In the Netherlands only few women have top positions in business life. The Dutch Constitution has a Law on Equal Opportunity for men and women, nevertheless there is no equality between men and women when it comes to top positions. Fortunately, because of the women organizations, like Woman Capital, this problem of lack of diversity at the top of companies and organizations has been put on the Dutch political agenda. In 2008, Member of Parliament Paul Kalma of the PvdA, Dutch Labour Party initiated a proposal for legal quota of 40% for women in top positions in businesses. With this proposal the Dutch Labour Party is following the footsteps of the Norwegian Parliament which introduced this regulation in 2008. However, many companies and organizations oppose introducing such a quota and there are many other factors holding women back from reaching the top position.

Achieving a top position cannot be reached without confronting the problems which causes the inequality between men and women at top positions. Such problems are for example vertical segregation; the segregation of gender in the hierarchy of jobs. The so-called "glass ceiling", which implies the existence of a solid barrier that blocks the vertical mobility of women: below this barrier, women are eligible for promotion; beyond this barrier, they are not. The most important problem in the Netherlands is part-time work. In the Netherlands, 3 in 4 women works only part-time, compared to 3 out of 10 women in the EU as a whole. It shows that these problems women face lies within the Dutch business culture/ society and are therefore difficult to change or overcome.

However, in recent years Dutch companies and organizations have decided to take action and have committed themselves to different networks in which they work together with other Dutch companies and organizations. The initiative behind these networks are to change ideas and to develop practical approaches that companies and organizations can use and obtain a male/female balance at the top for example, the Talent to the Top Charter. This Charter is based on cooperation between the Dutch government, corporate businesses and women. The main objective of the Charter is to promote the policy in which both female and male talent is developed to the same degree and in which a more proportional representation of men and women at the top will be realized. Furthermore, diversity at the top of organizations can only be realized when a change in the Dutch culture has been achieved. A change in the society does not come by itself. Gender diversity at the top means a redistribution of power, care and work and thinking about changing attitudes. Change has to be led by political will and decisions, mirroring values and norms in the society and by taken action.