Netherlands

In the first decade of the 21st century, the Netherlands finds itself in a paradoxical situation when it comes to gender equality. The self-image of Dutch society as tolerant—based on its welfare state, the legalization of soft drugs and prostitution, and openness toward homosexuality—needs to be further examined. First, tolerance is on the decline because of the growing popularity of anti-immigration forces in politics. Second, the schism between a high degree of gender mainstreaming and a low degree of gender equality, called the “Dutch Case,” still exists. This produces a Third Wave feminist attempt to bridge the gap between women from different generations and ethnic groups.

Dutch Second Wave feminism has been very successful in its “long march through the institutions.” As early as the late ...