Why International Women’s Day still matters: insights from three experts
The Netherlands is known globally for being a champion of equality. But is it really? On 8 March, International Women's Day, three Leiden experts reflect on this year's national theme: #NietMijnRecht (#NotMyRight)
In daily life, many women face an uneven playing field. At home, women are disproportionately likely to find themselves in manipulative or violent situations. At work, they must fight harder for equal opportunities and fair pay. And when they seek escape in the digital world, they are confronted with systems not designed for them – or worse, systems that actively work against them. In short: the oppression of women remains deeply embedded in our systems.
Ellen Gijselaar: ‘The protection of women is not always self-evident’
Ellen Gijselaar is Assistant Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. Together with former colleague Mojan Samadi, who now works at Utrecht University, she conducted research into gender-based violence and femicide. The outcomes show that women's rights in the Netherlands are far from self-evident: 'One clear example is that domestic violence in the Netherlands is often seen as "violence within a relationship of dependency". This terminology hides the fact that women are much more likely to be victims of this violence and that partner violence against women has a different dynamic.'
Gender is therefore indeed an important factor in tackling domestic violence: 'What we often overlook is that gender-neutral policy does not automatically lead to equality. The European Court of Human Rights has made it clear that gender is a relevant factor in domestic and sexual violence, both in the perception of it and in the way the government responds to it. So, we cannot ignore the relational dynamics of this violence and the associated patterns of power or control.'
What is #NietMijnRecht?
This year’s theme for the campaign in the Netherlands around International Women's Day is #NietMijnRecht (#NotMyRight). The idea behind this theme is that women's rights are coming under pressure in daily life, in both policies and systems. The aim is not only to create awareness, but also to encourage action that will have a lasting effect.
For more information, visit the national theme page.
Gijselaar: ‘For me, the theme #NietMijnRecht (#NotMyRight) touches on the question of whether substantive equality can be achieved: equality for everyone. This is precisely why a gender-sensitive approach to domestic violence is needed. For example, we know that female victims of this type of violence tend to withdraw an earlier police report or complaint, give inconsistent statements, and even return to the perpetrator. It is not necessary to give weight to these facts. In both 2020 and 2025, monitoring body GREVIO reported that the Netherlands’ approach to domestic violence is insufficiently gender-sensitive.'
Egbert Jongen: ‘Mothers’ earnings drop by nearly half after the birth of their first child’
Egbert Jongen, Professor of Economics and Socioeconomic Policy, conducts research on income inequality. He sees that women still systematically earn less than men, even though women on average are more highly educated than men: ‘On the one hand, this drop in earnings is related to the so-called part-time factor, where women work fewer hours on average than men. On the other hand, however, we also see significant differences in pay per hour worked. So, this has nothing to do with the level of education of women and must be down to some other factor.’
'What we see in the data is that the differences mainly arise around the birth of the first child, so that seems to be crucial. This is the so-called "child penalty": when mothers’ earnings drop by nearly half after the birth of their first child, while fathers’ earnings hardly change at all.'
'An important task still lies ahead for policymakers to give women the same opportunities to build a career as men. Policies aimed at combining work and care for (young) children play a role in this, as do policies focused on giving women the same opportunities as men to advance to the top of organisations.'
Carlotta Rigotti: 'Patriarchy remains embedded in daily life, social practices and institutions'
Carlotta Rigotti is an Assistant Professor at eLaw - Center for Law and Digital Technologies and conducts research on law, gender, and technology. In her research, she sees that technology facilitates and, in some cases, reinforces the violence and unequal treatment of women: 'The problem is not technology itself – as it is never neutral, but rather the people who design, use, and implement it. When these systems are shaped within patriarchal society, they risk perpetuating and even intensifying existing gender inequalities.’
'Across this landscape, the law is often not protecting women’s rights adequately online. Sometimes this is because specific legislation for this purpose does not yet exist. In other cases, laws do exist, but gender-related harm is not properly recognised, named, or legislation to tackle it enforced. The result is a gap between equality on paper and inequality in practice.'
As an Italian expat, Rigotti had heard from others that the Netherlands was a progressive country when it comes to gender equality, partly due to its progressive legislation. ‘But gender equality is not only about what is contained in legislation: it’s about how people are treated in everyday dealings – at work, in the courts, and in public spaces. From what I observe, gender gaps in treatment, opportunities, and expectations still exist. Although structural inequalities are often less visible here, they are still present.’
Sunday 8 March
Sunday 8 March is International Women's Day. Would you like to contribute to this day, for example by participating in local initiatives? See the Dutch website behind International Women's Day for more information.
Website International Women's Day