Staat van gezinnen 2026: Family is not central in policy.

Staat van gezinnen 2026: Family is not central in policy.

The Netherlands seems on paper to be an ideal country to have a family. With facilities such as maternity care, child benefit, and consultation offices, much is arranged. Yet many parents experience daily life very differently. Research by Foundation for Working Parents shows that families are increasingly getting stuck.

Stress and pressure on family life are increasing

Almost half of the parents (46%) say they often to always experience stress. This means the stress level is back to the level during the corona period. Parents feel rushed and exhausted. This pressure directly affects family life: parenting feels heavier, relationships come under stress and children also notice the impact.

In addition, parents often feel alone. Despite the large supply of facilities, they experience that support in practice as insufficient or difficult to access.

Daily worries pile up

Many parents face the same challenges. Childcare is expensive and complicated to arrange, affordable housing is scarce, and leave schemes do not match well with the needs of families. Time shortage also plays a big role.

It is striking that parents in the study for the first time speak out clearly about healthy food. That feels like a luxury for some families. As one parent puts it: “If a bag of chips is cheaper than a bag of apples, then something is wrong.”

In addition, parents worry about the safety of their children, both outside and online. Fathers also say they still get too little space at work and in contact with professionals to properly fulfill their role as a parent. This often leaves the division of care tasks at home unequal.

Growing inequality between families

Not all families have the same opportunities. The differences between income groups are growing and this has direct consequences for children. Families with sufficient means have more space to make choices, but even there time pressure remains an important problem. For families with less financial room, it is often a daily struggle to make ends meet.

This inequality affects the development opportunities of children. Not every child gets the same possibilities, simply because the home situation varies greatly.